Reviews

The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems by Paul B. Janeczko

xsleepyshadows's review

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4.0

Ok, the poem "The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog" is 100% how to greet a hedgehog. They really nailed their shy personality. ~Anyway, I really enjoyed the illustrations and the rest of this book. I really liked several of the poems in here and it really gave a unique feeling when reading them or really capturing the essence of something or feeling. I would highly recommend this book! ~Ashley

adeleon's review

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4.0

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is a series of poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko. Each poem has a different author, but they all rhyme in a wonderful limerick way. The poems themselves are whimsical, and cover topics such as scaring monsters away, taking care of trees, and of course, properly meeting hedgehogs. Each poem is matched with a wonderful illustration that perfectly depicts what the poem is discussing. The poems themselves aren’t too long but give enough information to create a clear image.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone to read, especially children. The topics are all magical and whimsical, letting children’s imagination run free. The illustrations are beautifully done, with so much color and style to them. The poems themselves are pretty easy to understand and straight forward, but still fun to read. The authors all made sure that they were relevant to what children are experiencing, such as swinging on a swing, making snow angels, and seeing fireworks. The limerick to each poem made for easy and enjoyable reading, and in my opinion this would be a great storytime book to read to any and all children. Overall a really great book that anyone can enjoy.

lydia_bryant's review

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adventurous funny inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.75

The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog and Other How-To Poems by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Richard Jones and published in 2019. This poetry book was written for the age range of six to nine-year-olds. This book can be practical (how to mix a pancake or how to bird-watch) or fanciful (how to scare monsters or how to be a snowflake); the poems in this book boast a flair and joy that you won't find in any instruction manual. This book is great for readers with its soft, evocative illustrations that will encourage them to look at the world with an eye to its countless possibilities! <poetry><adventurous><funny><inspiring><lighthearted>

the_lobrarian's review

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  • Illustrations are paint edited digitally

gloriazthompson's review

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funny

3.5

lagobond's review

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1.0

1.5 stars at most. I didn't read the book cover-to-cover, because it just felt so... uninspired. But I did read most of these poems. Some of them are pretty good (How to Pay Attention, How to Scare Monsters, How to Tell a Camel, The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog, How to Bird-Watch, A Lesson from the Deaf). Others are less good (Rules and a few others I can't be bothered to re-read). None of them are truly great, which is a sad thing in an anthology. And then there's How to Take Care of Your Tree, which is so dumb that it single-handedly cost the book about two stars.

The illustrations are ok for the most part, with some flashes of inspiration (Toasting Marshmallows) and some cute stuff, especially the critters. But the page for How to Read Braille is just a big-time fail! If ever a poem needed more than just a drawing to go with it, this is the one. There had to be a way to include some actual braille for the kids to feel, no? I can see what the makers of this book were trying to do, but in the end they just phoned it in. Too bad.

rosewelsh's review

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3.0

I will be honest from the start: I do not get poetry. I have nothing against it and I think people who love and appreciate it are awesome, I just have never understood it myself. I just can never find myself interested in reading poetry or enjoying it in any way, but I am trying to broaden my horizons and read things outside of my usual medium, so I figured children’s poetry was a good place to start.

This is an anthology collection of children’s poetry, mostly circling around nature and weather. A lot of these poems are very pretty and read nicely, but they’re nothing I would remember or carry in my head after reading. What I did love, however, is the art by Richard Jones. This is a gorgeous book, and I had more fun looking through the art than anything else. All the pieces fit perfectly with the poems they are paired with, and it adds so much to the overall reading experience.

A really pretty book for any parent to get for their child or to give as a gift.
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little_silver's review

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4.0

This book reminded me of how much I liked these kinds of poems as a kid. Great illustrations as well.

toad_maiden's review

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2.0

Very cute illustrations, and a unique theme, but as is often the case with children's poetry collections, there were only a few gems among many trite selections.

maidmarianlib's review against another edition

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4.0

A great range of poems from a lot of artists, the illustrations add a unique touch although I wanted more connections on a few pages.