Presidential Misadventures: Poems That Poke Fun at the Man in Charge

by Bob Raczka, Dan E. Burr (Illustrator)

Overview

A spoonful of poetry helps the mockery go down! This collection of presidential poems is historical and hysterical.

The clerihew is a simple poetic form specifically invented to make fun of famous people—and who is more famous than the misbehaving presidents of the United States? Here are forty-three poems teasing the commander-in-chief that are fun to read aloud and even more fun to write yourself. From the author of the incredibly inventive Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word comes a new collection filled with zingers, humdingers, and Presidential Misadventures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596439801
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	01/27/2015
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Bob Raczka has written many books about art and art history for children and several collections of children's poetry including Lemonade: And Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word. He lives in Glen Ellyn, Illinois.

Dan E. Burr is an illustrator and cartoonist who has won several Eisner and Harvey Awards.

Editorial Reviews

12/22/2014
Commanders-in-chief have long been targets for jokes, and Raczka continues this tradition with gusto in a collection of clerihews (short comic verses aimed at the famous) for each American president, accompanied by Burr’s impish b&w caricatures. The poems are based in truth, with casual observations and (mostly) good-natured roasting: “Pennsylvanian James Buchanan/ had poor taste in party plannin’./ For dinner, he often served sauerkraut./ No doubt for dessert it was brussels sprouts.” Some clerihews, however, have a bit more sting: “Relaxer-in-chief George W. Bush/ discovered the nation’s top job was cush./ He took more than 900 days of vacation,/ a record for two-term administrations.” These poems are satisfying bursts of sarcasm and wit, and an appendix provides clarification about Raczka’s many political and historical references. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

These poems are satisfying bursts of sarcasm and wit.” —Publisher's Weekly

“Lighthearted and entertaining, Raczka's irreverent quatrains show middle graders no figure is too lofty for some poetic play.” —Kirkus

“A jovial collection . . . Share these aloud with history buffs or to enliven the classroom.” —Booklist

“A fun and informative addition to poetry collections.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

03/01/2015
Gr 3–6—This petite treat cracks open history via a little light mockery in the form of 43 clerihews, one for each president of the United States. The book opens with an explanation of the form's origin and structure (the clerihew is a four-line poem with an AABB rhyming scheme that pokes fun at its famous subject, who is introduced in the first line). Readers will be engaged by the jokes and impelled to flip to the appendix to learn more. An irreverent tone runs through these selections. One poem describes Thomas Jefferson, who "went to town to buy bananas/and came home with Louisiana," while the accompanying illustration depicts him carrying a large outline of the state with a $15,000,000 price tag. The book includes other important bits of history such as the Monroe Doctrine and the purchase of Alaska. The research is sound, with reference sources cited, and cartoonist Burr's large-headed, pen-and-ink caricatures are humorous. Some of the textual and visual references will be lost on kids (such as the drawing of Richard Nixon being cued by the cameraman to read a script card that says, "I am not a crook."). However, the book will spark the inquisitive seeker in every reader and is a quick launch into research. VERDICT A fun and informative addition to poetry collections.—Teresa Pfeifer, The Springfield Renaissance School, Springfield, MA

School Library Journal

2014-10-01
Presidential portraits in light verse.Raczka adopts the four-line, limericklike clerihew to skewer each of the U.S. presidents. Assisted by brilliantly expressive pen-and-ink caricatures from award-winning cartoonist Burr, Raczka makes the most of historical trivia, lampooning a wide variety of presidential idiosyncrasies. Sometimes he pokes fun at daily habits: "Fitness nut John Quincy Adams / lived by the words, ‘Up and at 'em.' / Every morning, right at dawn, / he swam the Potomac with no clothes on." Other times he highlights significant events: "Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt / was shot near the heart, which he hardly felt. / The bullet was slowed by a fifty-page speech, / which Teddy still gave. That's a ‘tough' you can't teach." Throughout, Raczka succeeds in portraying these historic leaders of the free world in a light seldom seen. To add to the fun, an appendix provides brief back stories to the historical tidbits inspiring each poem, ranging from educational miscellany like the origin of Barack Obama's "Yes we can" campaign slogan in the motto of the United Farm Workers Union to such mindless trivia as 340-pound William Howard Taft and his infamous bathtub. Lighthearted and entertaining, Raczka's irreverent quatrains show middle graders no figure is too lofty for some poetic play. (Informational poetry. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews