Thunderboom!: Poems for Everybody

Children's Literature

There really is something here to provoke a thought or tickle the fancy of "everyone." My own adult daughter (barefoot princess that she is) would love the "Shoes" poem, which ends with "I'll line them up against the wall and then I'll choose . . . NO SHOES AT ALL." The wide range of topics, settings, and themes will give teachers and librarians a resource for introducing many lessons. From cats and bees, to merry-go-rounds and humpback whales many aspects of nature are covered, as well as poems about family relationships and a tribute to Margaret Wise Brown and the "great green room" of Goodnight Moon. The 41 poems are all delightfully illustrated with fresh, contemporary drawings that enhance the lyrical language but do not overpower the page. With references to the likes of Humpty Dumpty and the "Three Queens of Orient Are" this collection will offer much for discussion and the stimulation of shared language and stories. Add this to your collection to provide some insightful and funny poetry from this beloved children's author. 2005, Front Street/Boyds Mills Press, Ages 3 up.
—Sheilah Egan

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-Pomerantz's poetic skill in bringing language to life has never been more evident than in this collection of unpredictable, joyful rhymes, beginning with the opening poem, "Here They Come": "That's who's making/That hullabaloo,/That rackety-clackety/Bing-bang noise-/It's a ragtag, boodlebag,/Ragamuffin crew/Of yak-yak-yakkety/Girls and boys!" Readers can open to any page and meet fresh images, as in "Presents for Everybody": "A paper cup for Penceless Pete,/To pick up sunbeams from the street," and small gems, as in "Boots": "I like the crunch of boots,/Mine and those beside me/And those in back/That make a track/And those in front/That guide me." The uniformly high-spirited selections are beautifully complemented by Shepperson's detailed watercolor-and-ink illustrations that fit snugly in the pages. Readers will enjoy the small revolving door crowded with people, the three Queens of Orient riding a bewildered camel wearing a purple head scarf, and a sleeping child surrounded by the characters in her dream. These lovely selections will be enjoyed by children and the adults who share the book with them.-Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The subtitle implies the essential weakness of this poetry collection. The varied verses within may well offer one or two poems that please individual readers, but are unlikely as a group to find an appreciative audience. As in many earlier works, Pomerantz's writing reveals a global outlook. In the title poem, for example, readers learn the word for thunder in 10 different languages. Literary connections ground several works: A brief limerick alludes to the work of James Joyce; a longer poem honors Margaret Wise Brown. Other poems focus on the joys of going barefoot, celebrating Passover and a dialogue between Jonah and the whale. Shepperson's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations add humor, charm and a sense of coherence to the collection (for example, the "drowsy bumbling bumblebee" pictured snoozing in a pink flower shows up again pages later in the portrait of a just-engaged mole and vole). Despite their appeal and the undeniable quality of the writing, however, the publisher's description of this as a "ragtag, boodlebag of poems" remains unfortunately apt. (Poetry. 8-12)