Oh, No! Where Are My Pants? and Other Disasters: Poems

From School Library Journal Grade 2-5 - These 14short poems all depict little moments of being human. The disasters referred to in the subtitle range from big to small, from comic ("Hello apple!/Shiny red./CHOMP. CHOMP./Hello worm./Where's your head?") to sad (a child is shown holding a dead rabbit, a classroom pet: "His tall straight ears, his long quick feet/Trailed like falling velvet drapes."). Embarrassment, shame, fear, chagrin: all of these feelings are so common in childhood that a collection of poems about them seems natural. Erlbruch, a well-known German artist, creates pictures that show this range of emotions beautifully. At first glance, they are deceptively simple and spare. A closer look reveals that what seems to be a quietly colored drawing actually has the subtle variation in texture of a collage. Ample white space, simple backgrounds, and a font that looks both childlike and elegant all combine to enhance this lovely book. A winner from a prolific poet/editor/compiler and a talented illustrator.