182. Alligator Stew by Dennis Lee

Alligator Stew: Favourite Poems by Dennis Lee, illustrated by Roge

Pages: unpaginated
Ages: 5+
Finished: Oct. 3, 2009
First Published: 2005
Genre: children's poetry
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

Alligator pie, alligator pie,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die.

Reason for Reading: I read poetry to my son as a regular part of our day. We read a 2 page spread at a time alternating between a book focusing on one specific poet then a collection of authors. This was our poet focus and I chose a Canadian poet to qualify for the Canadian Reading Challenge. I own this book.

Comments: A collection of some of the best and most popular poems from Dennis Lee's previously published books up to this date. Includes such favourites as Alligator Pie, Willoughby Wallaby Woo and Mulligan Stew. For those who've never had the pleasure of reading Dennis Lee's poetry, I would suggest you think along the lines of Shel Silverstein crossed with a G-rated Monty Python and add a good dose of Canadianism. Rollicking good, fun and sometimes hilarious poems with a beat that are perfect for reading aloud. Some are slow and spooky, others are fast and funny, while others have you singing the words by the time you've read two lines as in one of my favourites, Doctor Bop. No child should leave childhood without having experienced at least one of Dennis Lee's collection of poems.

Roge's illustrations are quite literally out of this world. Bright, bold and goofy. I'm not sure what the style is called but his character's proportions are not quite right, necks too small, heads too big, bodies bent in ways they shouldn't quite be able to go, etc. and his monsters and creatures are very unique and strange and yet playful, not scary. They brilliantly enhance the poetry.

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