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Overview
Nothing beats a pizzawhen you're in a pizza mood
because a pizza isn't anything
like any other food.
The opening refrain of Nothing Beats A Pizza is catchy and fun, just like all 32 poems found in Loris Lesynski's new book of poety. Loris's poems are about enjoying language, rhythm, and rhyme - and, most of all, your own creativity.
These poems are meant to be said aloud and shared. They are jumping-off points that invite kids to exercise their creativity with their own versions of the poems:
Leaves were here
they left their prints
in greenish grayish brownish tints
like rubber stamps along the road
an autumn message left in code
On the page below Leaves, Loris starts kids off with: "Pizzas were here. They left their crumbs ..." This is one of many invitations for kids to experiment and see what new creations they can build.
Dancing across the pages are illustrations and poems alive with humor, exploring things that are important to a kid's world: pizza, substitute teachers, homework, moods, food, and pets.
Author Biography: Loris Lesynski is an author, illustrator, poet, and graphic designer. She has published four popular children's picture books: Boy Soup (1996), Ogre Fun (1997), Catmagic (1998) and Night School (2001). Dirty Dog Boogie (1999) was her first fabulous foray into poetry. As a performer with a great deal of knowledge about educational issues, Loris is very popular on the reading conference circuit and makes many author visits and appearances.
Synopsis
Thirty-two catchy and fun poems for children from the author of Dirty Dog Boogie. These are poems for reading aloud, all about language, rhythm and rhyme - and an invitation to kids to use their own creativity.
Children's Literature
Nothing Beats a Pizza is a busy, fun and snappy book of poems, mainly about pizza, but also about families, feelings and school experiences. Author Lesynski recommends that her readers read the poems out loud for the best effect of language and sound. Some of the poems have titles like "Old, Cold Pizza," "Mock Pizza," and "The Bad Mood Blues." There are also lots of small and humorous sidebars sprinkled among the pages, and Lesynski's illustrations are colorful and whimsical. The author encourages her readers to write their own poems and to experience playing with words and their sounds. This is a creative and fun book. 2001, Annick Press, $18.95 and $6.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer:Della A. Yannuzzi
Editorials
Children's Literature
Nothing Beats a Pizza is a busy, fun and snappy book of poems, mainly about pizza, but also about families, feelings and school experiences. Author Lesynski recommends that her readers read the poems out loud for the best effect of language and sound. Some of the poems have titles like "Old, Cold Pizza," "Mock Pizza," and "The Bad Mood Blues." There are also lots of small and humorous sidebars sprinkled among the pages, and Lesynski's illustrations are colorful and whimsical. The author encourages her readers to write their own poems and to experience playing with words and their sounds. This is a creative and fun book. 2001, Annick Press, $18.95 and $6.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer:Della A. YannuzziSchool Library Journal
Gr 3-6-Lesynski is back again with her offbeat sense of humor, this time with a subject sure to appeal to kids-pizza. Problems with teachers, classmates, pets, and feelings are also included in rhyme, free verse, or rap. Most pages have ideas for creative activities that can be paired with the poems, making the book a useful addition for poetry units. The pages are filled with lighthearted illustrations that Lesynski states were done in "colored pencil, watercolor, house paint, tomato sauce, eyeshadow, rubber stamp-pad ink, and ordinary pencil." With that kind of creativity, it's easy to see how this book might stimulate students' imaginations and inspire them to write their own original creations. While this isn't Jack Prelutsky or Shel Silverstein, the verse will run a close second with reluctant readers or with anyone who enjoys zany, gooey, and sometimes downright revolting rhymes. Great poems for reading aloud with pizzazz.-Laurie Edwards, formerly at Dauphin County Library System, Harrisburg, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.Canadian Materials
Lesynski's use of language is wonderful, with rhymes and rhythms that beg to be read aloud . Highly recommended.— Betsy Fraser
Canadian Materials -
Together, Quinlan and Berg provide an enchanting version of this ever-popular favourite which has a place in both homes and libraries. Highly recommended.Loris Lesynski's second volume of poetry for children, the first being The Dirty Dog Boogie, is a brightly-coloured, rollicking group of highly imaginative poems. Lesynski's use of language is wonderful, with rhymes and rhythms that beg to be read aloud and subject matter that would appeal to children and parents alike. A number of poems deal with pizza, and directions on the cover instruct readers to "Read out loud - with pizzazz!" Lesynski's illustrations are bright and comical. The page layouts have been done carefully to achieve a gloriously cluttered feel, with a wide variety of fonts, textures and a large number of smaller illustrations and quips inserted in seemingly random locations. These cluttered layouts are perfect for drawing children back to this book for further readings. This is a book that is perfect for sharing and reading aloud for any age. Highly Recommended.