The Best Worst Poet Ever

by Lauren Stohler (Author) Lauren Stohler (Illustrator)

The Best Worst Poet Ever
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
Furry rivals Cat and Pug have a rhyme-riddled showdown in this hilarious and delightfully quirky picture book about the joys of writing poetry--playfully imagined by the creator of social media sensation Ink pug! There once was a Pug and a Cat Who engaged in a poetic spat... Cat and Pug are each determined to become the World's Best Poet, no matter what it takes. Whether they're writing sonnets to sundaes or typing ballads with their butts, they will stop at nothing to outwit, out-write, and out-verse each other. But perhaps there is an even greater prize to be had: Can these two rivals discover the wonderful joy of writing...together?
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Hardcover
$17.99

Kirkus

"The scansion and prosody are remarkable, making for a truly rollicking read-aloud with extreme emotional highs. . . . There's plenty of humor and energy to keep audiences large and small enthralled. Delightful."--Kirkus Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Debut author Stohler takes "use your words" to literary, witty extremes via roly-poly Pug and orange, fluffy, and equally rotund frenemy Cat. Stirring the pot on what are clearly long-standing issues between them, the two engage in a poetry face-off. Cat, who is not a little snobby, fussily assembles a quill, an inkstand, and a bust of Shakespeare before hurling all manner of verse at Pug: "Don't poke the haiku/ this fresh toasty haiku, plump/ with soft little words." Pug, who has gathered a typewriter, a pizza, and a large bag of cookies, counters with a poetry slam pose and a multi-stanza manifesto: "Can I write a poem with my butt?/ I don't know!/ Oh can I write a poem with my butt?/ Here I go!" As the versifying escalates, expressively inky digital vignettes grow ever more rambunctious and gravity-defying; the typewritten text follows suit, skipping and swooping around the page. Eventually, poetry works it magic on both characters, who enthusiastically embrace each other, the muse, and all the tools in the meter toolkit, including slanted rhyme, enjambment, and poetic contractions. They're poets, and boy, do they know it. Ages 4-8. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Aug.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--An erudite cat who quotes Shakespeare and a food-obsessed, slightly low-brow pug have a "battle of verse," trading rhyme for rhyme, with the writing style of each matching their personality. The cat uses a quill and speaks of writing ballads, limericks, and sonnets while the pug makes fun of the cat and his highfalutin language, using his butt, toes, and tongue to type and rhyme. Eventually their battle leads to a volley of insults, but when the cat starts comparing the pug to disgusting food ("you'd be piled high with licorice frosting and soggy french fries") a delighted pug notes, "What delicious perfection! How tastily true! You're a friend and a poet, and I never knew!" What ensues is a messy and hilarious collaboration leading--almost--to the world's greatest poetry show. With clever illustrations of the mayhem, this is a wonderful story for two people to read aloud together, demonstrating the pleasures of poetry and language, not to mention how much fun a battle of wits can be for the participants and the spectators. Although the story stalls a bit in the middle, for most of the book the pitch-perfect banter between pug and cat is almost Seussical in nature, using rhyme and rhythm to propel things along. VERDICT For listening, looking, or reading aloud, this is a battle of verse worth joining.--Sally James, South Hillsborough Elem. Sch., CA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"The scansion and prosody are remarkable, making for a truly rollicking read-aloud with extreme emotional highs. . . . There's plenty of humor and energy to keep audiences large and small enthralled. Delightful."—Kirkus Reviews
Lauren Stohler
Lauren Stohler lives and works with her husband Gareth in Connecticut, where they create art and pug poetry under their top-secret internet pseudonym, @Inkpug. When not writing stories or drawing pictures, they are probably on a walk to the ice cream shop. Lauren is the author of picture books The Best Worst Poet Ever, The Problem with Pajamas, and I Am a GREAT Friend!. Find out more at Inkpug.com.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781534446281
Lexile Measure
500
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date
August 04, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002050 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Cats
JUV002190 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Pets
JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
JUV070000 - Juvenile Fiction | Poetry (see also Stories in Verse)
Library of Congress categories
Humorous stories
Cats
Dogs
Stories in rhyme
Poetry

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