Don't Be So Persnickety!

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at Queen’s University. She is the co-author of
Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary Classroom.

John B. Lee is an internationally acclaimed writer who has twice won the
Milton Acorn People’s Poetry Award. His work has appeared in magazines
and anthologies all over the world.

In this collection, Lee’s poems, songs, and riddles address a wide
range of topics, such as a hairy man, a walk to the sea, snowmen thawing
at night, a dog who runs backwards, a skunk, and a hamster called
Penelope. Many of the humorous selections are about animals, insects, or
other creatures. Throughout the book, Lee has included 14 Who am I? or
What is it? riddles. He titles them “Riddle the First,” “Riddle
the Second,” and so on to “Riddle the Last.” Readers will delight
in solving the puzzles and, happily, answers to the riddles are found at
the back of the book. Lee employs various rhyming schemes in his poems,
and his love of language and sound are evident. He also uses different
page arrangements to present the poems, songs, and riddles. Frank
Woodcock’s black pencil drawings scattered throughout the book further
enhance the presentation of Lee’s work. Recommended.