A Little Less Noise

by Barry Louis Polisar, David Clark (Illustrator)

Overview

This witty, silly, humorous collection of some of Barry Louis Polisar's best-loved song lyrics, accompanied by imaginative full-color drawings, brings to life the often comical reality of childhood. Filled with pesky siblings, terrifying teachers, and tormented babysitters who won't return, not to mention various monsters, a boy who has lost his pants, and a young child with a dog named “Cat,” the illustrated poetry will delight youngsters of all ages as well as their parents.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780938663232
Publisher:	Rainbow Morning Music Alternatives
Publication date:	01/01/2001
Series:	Rainbow Morning Music Picture Books Series
Edition description:	1 ED
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.31(d)
Age Range:	5 - 12 Years

About the Author

Barry Louis Polisar has written songs for Sesame Street and The Weekly Reader, and his early recordings are cataloged in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has performed at the White House, the Smithsonian, and the Kennedy Center. He is the author of Insect Soup: Bug Poems, Peculiar Zoo, and The Snake Who Was Afraid of People. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. David Clark is a winner of the Rubin Award for Newspaper Illustration and has illustrated almost all of Barry’s books. He lives in Luray, Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

“Barry Louis Polisar demonstrates more respect for children than just about any other artist, celebrating them as they are and encouraging them to laugh at themselves.” —Booklist

“[Polisar’s] celebration of the realities of childhood are humorously voiced.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

This collection of Polisar's (Peculiar Zoo) most popular lyrics pulled from an out-of-print songbook (Noises from Under the Rug) loses something in translation when presented without tunes. Though many of the selections ("I Lost My Pants"; "My Brother Threw Up on My Stuffed Toy Bunny") possess the kind of loopy irreverence practiced by such fellow poetic punsters as Jack Prelutsky, others employ clumsy internal rhymes ("Underwear is everywhere but mostly underneath./ Usually you can't see what goes on beneath"; "Factories are good for snacks,/ I love that red hot steel./ And you know we need our supply/ Of iron in our meals," sings a three-toed, triple-eyed, double-jointed dinosaur), which may be helped by musical accompaniment but fall flat when read aloud. Thematically, silliness reigns supreme ("We stand up on the sofa with carrots up our noses,/ Pretending we are monsters not wearing any clothes-es"), a fact that should delight Polisar's fans, and several of the tag lines pack a punch, perhaps most notably that of his well-known "I Don't Wanna Go to School": " `Now Tom get up,' said Tommy's mom. She hoped he was convincible./ `You've got to go to school,' she said, `because you are the Principal.' " Longtime collaborator Clark dishes up his trademark blend of quirky, bug-eyed cartoonlike creatures, whose exaggerated expressions heighten the humor. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The poems collected in this book are song lyrics written by the author and are accompanied by humorous illustrations. The poems, especially those ending with a twist, will have kids laughing. "I Don't Wanna Go to School" is one of the best. Tom's mom is unable to get him out of bed in the morning. Tom pulls the covers over his head and whimpers a litany of complaints. No one likes him, people laugh at him and the teachers won't even talk to him. The surprise comes when the reader learns Tom's identity. One or two of the poems are suitably gross, but "Go and Hush the Baby" might not appeal to a sensitive kid. Losing a baby down the drain might rekindle memories of the fear sometimes experienced by toddlers when they're in the tub. The lyrics are amusing in book form and would assuredly be lots of fun to sing or to listen to when sung for an audience. 2001, Rainbow Morning Music, $14.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Carolyn Mott Ford

Children's Literature

PreS-Gr 3-A long-time children's entertainer has gathered many of his songs into this collection, transforming them into poems that will be familiar to many children. With such titles as "Don't Put Your Finger Up Your Nose" and "My Brother Threw Up on My Stuffed Toy Bunny," Polisar strikes at the heart of every kid's funny bone, despite his tendency to play fast and loose with meter and rhyme, a fault easier to hide in a performance setting. Without his wacky personality and his own interpretation of both words and music, the songs are not as successful on the printed page. The illustrations are over the top and even slightly ribald with exaggerations galore. There's a green-faced brother, ready to-well, you know-and a gorilla that is sticking a finger in his nose, ears, and mouth. Despite the uneven quality, these odes to school, siblings, teachers, and parents will certainly appeal to Polisar's fans, who will have his music ringing in their ears.-Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal