Apr 12 2012
Giggly times, giggly rhymes No. 2: Picture book poems for children by Richie Cotton
Illustrated by Rhonda Cotton. Billy’s Books.
(Age: 5-8) This is a self-publication by Richie and Rhonda Cotton and is the second in a series of fun rhymes for young children. The handwritten rhymes and simple, colourful illustrations add to the homemade charm of these amusing rhymes. While there is nothing particularly spectacular about the collection Cotton uses simple rhythms and words to create amusing poetry. They are simple enough that children would find it an achievable goal to write poetry of a similar kind themselves. For this reason they may be useful to use as a model for children learning to write rhymes of their own.
These poems are certainly best for reading aloud and the way the illustrations correlate directly to the text may assist comprehension for those learning to follow poems and their structure as a form of storytelling. The book consists of 21 poems with different themes, most short and many nonsensical or quirky.
Overall a pleasing collection of poems and illustrations that could assist teachers working on poetry and rhyme writing with young children or as a silly and enjoyable read aloud.
Nicole Smith-Forrest
