In the vein of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, this illustrated book of humorous poems will guarantee giggles Artist, poet, and award-winning author Douglas Florian successfully captures the comedy of kids’ everyday lives with this jam-packed volume of 170 nonsense poems. Meander through the different aisles—such as “Jests & Jives” or “Tons of Puns”—to find everything from laugh-out-loud limericks to frenetic free verse. With Florian’s eccentric wit and off-the-wall drawings, this one-stop funny poetry shop is perfect for fans of Where the Sidewalk Ends . Gr 2–5—Echoes of Shel Silverstein's brand of wit and whimsy reverberate in Florian's 170 poems. The kid-friendly selections creatively capture the quotidian comings and goings of youngsters in humorous, forward-thinking verse. Thick ink illustrations add to the look and feel of a coloring book while a simple font enhances the readability of literary comestibles sure to delight and please while augmenting developing language skills. Chapter headings include "Chortles & Chuckles," "Funny Bones & Belly Laughs," "Jests & Jives," and "Tons of Puns." The poems are brief in length and long on fun. The first selection, "Welcome," says it all: "Welcome to the Poem Depot-/Relax and stay a while./When you walk in/You'll surely grin,/And leave wearing a smile."—Magdaline Henderson-Diman, formerly at Bass Harbor Memorial Library, Bernard, ME Florian’s latest is a generous compendium of light, clever verse on a variety of topics. A long selection here is two dozen lines; a short one is just three or four. Rhythm and rhyme keep the whole volume rolling along, while the expressive artwork gives readers reasons to pause along the way. With similarly titled chapters (“Wit and Whimsy,” “Rib-Ticklers and Sidesplitters”), the arrangement of selections often seems random, though poems based on nursery rhymes or familiar sayings, for instance, are often grouped together. Although not every book of poems is enhanced by illustrations, Florian’s bold, black line drawings ramp up the verbal humor and complete the pages visually without overwhelming the words. The occasional verse suggests an adult perspective, but most selections arise clearly from a child’s point of view. With a strong thread of wordplay, the poems will amuse children while also challenging them to think, making this an appealing source of short verse to memorize and an enjoyable collection of poetry to read just for fun. Grades 3-6. --Carolyn Phelan Praise for  Poem Depot : "Plenty of laughs to be had."— Publishers Weekly "More than one reviewer has already noted that fans of Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends or A Light in the Attic  might also enjoy Douglas Florian’s Poem Depot: Aisles of Smiles ."—Julie Danielson (of Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast) in Kirkus Reviews "With a strong thread of wordplay, the poems will amuse children while also challenging them to think, making this an appealing source of short verse to memorize and an enjoyable collection of poetry to read just for fun."— Booklist "The verse here ranges from screwball nursery rhymes to free verse, limericks and even a Ben Franklin aphorism...it's not Chaucer, but it's diverting."— The Wall Street Journal "Echoes of Shel Silverstein’s brand of wit and whimsy reverberate in Florian’s 170 poems. The kid-friendly selections creatively capture the quotidian comings and goings of youngsters in humorous, forward-thinking verse."— School Library Journal Douglas Florian (douglasflorian.com) is an abstract artist, poet, and the author of over fifty children’s books. He lives in New York City.