Sad Underwear

Sad Underwear and Other Complications
by Judith Viorst
illustrated by Richard Hull

Aladdin Paperbacks, 1995







Genre:  Humor, Poetry

Honors:  CBC/NCSS Notable Children's Book in Social Studies

Reviews:  Similar to Shel Silverstein's works of humorous poetry, this collection of comedic poems is delightful and funny. The book is written for the middle-school aged audience and the length and topics of the poems mirror the age group. Simplistic use of language is a further declaration of the young audience. This compilation covers various types of rhythmic poems, and even includes an additional chapter of knock-knock jokes.

Opinion:  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, from the very first poem to the very last. The illustrations by Richard Hull appear on most of the pages, which added another fun element. Many of the poems ended with a great twist, making the poems even more admirable. Additionally, I thought the author did a fantastic job in selecting relevant topics for her audience.

Ideas:  This book would work well for children who are reluctant poetry readers. This is especially true because of the humor within the poems, and their somewhat short length and simplistic language.