Nightwatchman of corners
Caretaker of naps
Leg-wrestler of pillows
Depresser of laps.
The bird-watching bandit
On needle-point claws
The chief of detectives
On marshmallow paws.
Excerpt from “A Tomcat Is” by J. Patrick Lewis
Imagine my surprise when I found out that not only is there a Children’s Poet Laureate of the United States, but that from 2011 to 2013, that poet was from Westerville, Ohio! J. Patrick Lewis has had over 15 collections of children’s poetry published since 1998. His latest book, Everything is a Poem: The Best of J. Patrick Lewis, is a collection of a variety of his poetry beautifully illustrated by Maria Cristina Pritelli. Lewis writes about everything, from riddles to baseball, biographical odes to nature, and everything in between. Some will make you chuckle while others will make you think. Lewis says in the foreword of the book, “I wanted to write poems in a hundred voices,” and I believe he has succeeded. Not too shabby for a former professor of economics!
Books Nearby on the Shelf:
Silly Street by Jeff Foxworthy, illustrated by Steve Björkman
In the Sea by David Elliott, illustrated by Holly Meade
Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
The Poem That Will Not End: Fun With Poetic Forms and Voices by Joan Bransfield Graham, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker
Click here to check out these books.
