Spring 2024

Eating My Words

And 128 Other Poems

  • Interest Level: Grade 4 - Grade 8
  • Reading Level: Grade 5

At lunch, / I ate three cans / of alphabet soup. / An hour later / I had / thesaurus / throat / ever.

Would you care for a cupful of couplets? How about a helping of haiku? Brian P. Cleary offers poetry by the plateful in this clever collection! Wordplay and humor abound in poems that cover everything from pets to school to food—and much more. Eye-catching illustrations add to the fun, and the book is sprinkled with bonus facts about poetic forms and rhyme schemes. Whether grabbing a quick bite or sitting down to a full meal, readers will laugh, giggle, chuckle, and chortle their way through this poetic feast!

Format Your Price Add
978-1-7284-8764-9
$25.99
979-8-7656-2519-4
$14.99
979-8-7656-1922-3
$41.99
Available at all major wholesalers and distributors. Save 25% off list price on hardcovers and ebooks when you buy direct! Digital purchases will be accessed on Lerner Digital Bookshelf. An account will be created for you after purchase.
Interest Level Grade 4 - Grade 8
Reading Level Grade 5
Category Reading/Language Arts
Copyright 2024
Publisher Lerner Publishing Group
Imprint Millbrook Press ™
Language English
Number of Pages 120
Publication Date 2024-03-05
Text Type Poetry
BISACS JNF042010, JNF029010
Dewey 811/.54
Dimensions 7 x 9
Features Author/Illustrator biography, Awards, Glossary, Original artwork, Reviewed, Table of contents, Teaching Guides, and eSource

Author: Brian P. Cleary

Brian P. Cleary is an American humorist, poet, and author. He is best known for his books written for grade-school children that explore grammar, math and poetry in humorous ways. In his role in the digital division of American Greetings, he’s put words in the mouths of Dolly Parton, Christina Aguilera, William Shatner, Meghan Trainor and more. The multi-million selling author has performed poetry workshops in 500 elementary schools across the county. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lerner eSource™ offers free digital teaching and learning resources, including Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teaching guides. These guides, created by classroom teachers, offer short lessons and writing exercises that give students specific instruction and practice using Common Core skills and strategies. Lerner eSource also provides additional resources including online activities, downloadable/printable graphic organizers, and additional educational materials that would also support Common Core instruction. Download, share, pin, print, and save as many of these free resources as you like!

Eating My Words

At lunch, / I ate three cans / of alphabet soup. / An hour later / I had / thesaurus / throat / ever. Would you care for a cupful of couplets? How about a helping of haiku? Brian P. Cleary offers poetry by the plateful in this clever collection! Wordplay… View available downloads →

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Awards

  • School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Winner, 2024

Reviews

Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

“Teachers will no doubt love these instructional aspects of the book, but children will appreciate the amusing poems themselves . . . With kid-friendly subjects like pets, school, and family, and colorful cartoony illustrations, readers are sure to find plenty to tickle their funny bone. Reviewer Rating: 4”—Children’s Literature

School Library Journal

“Simultaneously a book of poems and a primer on poetic craft . . . An excellent addition to poetry collections, this volume will excite and engage, and—most importantly—it will empower children to write poems of their own.”—School Library Journal

Kirkus Reviews

“Readers will gobble up heaping helpings of this humorous literary smorgasbord, but it’s also suitable for savoring slowly.”—Kirkus Reviews

Booklist

“The poet’s apparent preference for shorter forms may encourage reluctant readers to stay the course and inexperienced writers to stretch their language skills. The illustrations, which are likewise drawn from the earlier series, add comical cartoon spot art or riffs featuring a racially diverse cast of, mostly, children in various predicaments.”—Booklist

Kenn Nesbitt, Children's Poet Laureate

“An astounding work–the crème de la crème from the best of the best!”— Kenn Nesbitt, former US Children’s Poet Laureate