Zilot & Other Important Rhymes

Starred review from July 1, 2023

Gr 1-5-In the same vein as the unrelentingly inventive poems of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, Odenkirk's poems beg to be read out loud. Most revolve around working out the absurdities of a goofy idea or of playing around with language. The language used is accessible for most elementary school kids, and the occasional explanatory footnote provides useful context. Enlivening illustrations add distinct charm. It's a feat for such elastic poems to feel so unforced. To read one is to enjoy a well-constructed confection of a concept played through in an unfussy, delightful way. However, it's worth noting that the repetition of the same types of rhyme schemes and meter also creates a bit of a tranquilizing effect when stretched over a full collection. The overall effect of reading many at once can be that they all sort of mush into one big comforting and pleasant poetry casserole. This is by no means a reason to pass on this book: as a volume to flip through, any poem readers land on will be tremendous fun to savor. Need a poem for story time? Crack this volume open and take your pick. VERDICT Highly recommended for those looking to freshen up their collections of silly poetry.-Kate Stadt

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 4, 2023
“A zilot is an indoor fort,/ a home inside your home” begins actor Bob Odenkirk (Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama, for adults) in this playful children’s debut, a cooperative family effort illustrated by daughter Erin Odenkirk. Silliness abounds throughout the 70-plus disparate poems, each featuring digitally colored pen illustrations that radiate enthusiastic quirkiness with whimsical scenes of monsters and contraptions. Some works describe common childhood experiences, such as reacting to a new baby, heading to camp and returning home, and shopping at the 99-cent store. Others channel Shel Silverstein with stanzas that bask in their own ludicrousness. Many of the poems rhyme, and some delve into gross-out subjects including boogers and dog poop (the latter “in slimy pellets or fulsome logs”), but all employ fun wordplay and meter that beg to be read aloud, as in “Lollygagging”: “We’ll aim to aim aimlessly/ and traipse about spaciously/ and fart around graciously/ and fritter tenaciously.” Characters portrayed with pale skin throughout. Ages 6–up. Agent: Janine Kamouh and Erin Malone, WME.

Starred review from September 1, 2023
Poems on various topics by the actor/screenwriter and his kids. In collaboration with his now-grown children--particularly daughter Erin, who adds gently humorous vignettes and spot art to each entry--Bob Odenkirk, best known for his roles in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, dishes up a poetic hodgepodge that is notably loose jointed in the meter and rhyme departments. The story also too often veers from child-friendly subjects (bedtime-delaying tactics, sympathy for a dog with the zoomies) to writerly whines ("The be-all and end-all of perfection in scribbling, / no matter and no mind to any critical quibbling"). Some of the less-than-compelling lines describe how a "plane ride is an irony / with a strange and wondrous duplicity." A few gems are buried in the bunch, however, like the comforting words offered to a bedroom monster and a frightened invisible friend, not to mention an invitation from little Willy Whimble, who lives in a tuna can but has a heart as "big as can be. / Come inside, / stay for dinner. / I'll roast us a pea!" They're hard to find, though. Notwithstanding nods to Calef Brown, Shel Silverstein, and other gifted wordsmiths in the acknowledgments, the wordplay in general is as artificial as much of the writing: "I scratched, then I scrutched / and skrappled away, / scritching my itch with great / pan-a-ch�..." Human figures are light-skinned throughout. A lackluster collection of verse enlivened by a few bright spots. (Poetry. 6-8)

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