Well, well, well . . . ready for some fun?

Just when you think children’s poetry anthologies can sometimes be a tad predictable, up pops a new one that almost defies description. Is it a junk journal? a graphic novel? a writer’s notebook? a playground for list makers and doodlers? It’s actually all of the above, in addition to being an engaging collection of 150+ lighthearted poems by 100+ uber cool contemporary poets!

In Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, illustrated by Frank Ramspott (Pomelo Books, 2024), readers ages 8-14 are invited to spend a week with spunky Clara, a fourth grader who’s making a compendium for Mrs. Booker’s class.

The assignment is to copy or cut-and-tape poems, collect facts and trivia connected to the poems (thimblethoughts), jot down questions (wonderfuzz), add drawings or illustrations, and simply record whatever one deems noteworthy. There are no limits to this creative exercise, with Mrs. Booker emphasizing, “Put in ANYTHING you want.”

THIMBLETHOUGHT: Scientists say that people who doodle can remember 29% more than people who don’t doodle.

So we meet Clara (animal lover, cookie baker, popsicle eater and skateboard, soccer, pickleball, basketball and video games enthusiast), as well as her family, friends, neighbors, and classmates at school and at play.

Poems and all their related tidbits are largely framed throughout the book by a series of writing exercises Mrs. Booker has assigned the class — everything from describing friends and pets, to considering math, science, language arts, and social studies takeaways, to pondering dream jobs.

Kids will be happy to see many pages devoted to wild animals, both weird and wonderful, and the visually appealing scrapbook-like format will inspire them to imagine, explore, rethink, reflect, dig deeper, and have a ball writing their own poems.

WONDERFUZZ: When we write, do our words become brain tattoos?

Clara’s enthusiasm is infectious as she shares all the funny, sometimes silly, irresistibly wacky poems (a chewy smorgasbord of delightful poetic forms and devices). Robots? Pirates? Chickens? Artists? Slumber Parties? Check! Clara herself writes many poems, and even her toes get in on the action. Why not? Anything goes!

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