1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Calef. 2000. POLKA DOT BATS AND OCTOPUS SLACKS. New York. Scholastic. ISBN 0439172403
2. PLOT SUMMARY
While the title of Calef Brown’s first collection alludes to 14 stories, in truth, you will find 14 funny, cooky nonsense rhyming poems. Brown pens such witty tales and introduces us to unusual characters such as the Octopus in his bell bottom pants, to a funky dancing snowman and lets not forget Georgie Spider who catches flies but never eats the little guys! With Browns own invented words and sounds along with subject matter his collection easily entertains any age.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The illustrations that Brown uses to help tell the poems are modern and quirky. From the cover to the back flap the reader will find bold, folk art style illustrations to add to the delight of the poems themselves. With their odd proportions and extreme use of color Brown creates an art style all his own. From the green page about Clementown and their love for the color green to Ed who adores the color red, Calefs hues make up the stories just as much as the words. Polka Dot Bat turds and the mention of no artificial dyes in the spiders pie lends a sense of modern language use making it feel current to the reader.With the silliness that kids love, Brown has created 14 poems that can make anyone giggle.
4. REVIEWS
BOOKLIST review: “A wacky, postmodern array of characters. . . . Brown’s illustrations (are) a perfect choice of style for the poetry’s quirky logic. An exuberant debut, equally enjoyable read silently or aloud
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: “The deadpan tone and weird words, worthy of a carnival barker, inject a step-right-up sensibility into the humorous rhymes
5. CONNECTIONS
Another way to enjoy Browns stories is through music. The link below has a few selections available to delight the ears. Make sure to check out Funky Snowman!
Other silly collections by Calef Brown:
Brown, Calef. DUTCH SNEAKERS AND FLEAKEEPERS: 14 MORE STORIES. ISBN 0547237510
Brown, Calef. FLAMINGOS ON THE ROOF: POEMS AND PAINTINGS. ISBN 0618562982
More silly poems can be found at the link below:
Jack Prelutsky, another silly poem author, includes on his website the instructions on how to write a funny poem.
http://www.jackprelutsky.com/flash/pdf_docs/HowToWriteAFunnyPoem.pdf
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