Saturday, October 3, 2020

The Proper way to meet a Hedgehog and other how to poems by Paul B Janeczko illustrated by Richard Jones


Read the title again - The Proper way to meet a Hedgehog!  When I was shown this book at my favourite school library a couple of weeks ago I just couldn't resist borrowing it - the title is so delicious. I love hedgehogs even though we don't have them here in Australia.

Paul B Janeczko sadly died in 2019. He was the author of some very significant and wonderful poetry anthologies many of which are sure to be found in Australian school libraries.




This book contains 33 poems by twenty-five poets including: 

  • Kwame Alexander
  • Margarita Engle
  • Douglas Florian
  • Helen Frost
  • Charles Ghigna
  • Nikki Grimes
  • Karla Kuskin
  • Irene Latham
  • Christina Rossetti
  • Robert Louis Stevenson
  • April Halprin Wayland

Here is one of the poems that I enjoyed:

How to Bird Watch by Margarita Engle

be very quiet

and amazingly patient

until finally

a shy dove thinks your green shirt

is part of a shady tree

The Proper way to meet a Hedgehog also contains one of my favourite poems - I taught this to my first ever third grade class back in 1984!  

Rules by Karla Kuskin.

Do not jump on ancient uncles.

Do not yell at average mice.

Do not wear a broom to breakfast.

Do not ask a snakes advice.

Do not bathe in chocolate pudding.

Do not talk to bearded bears.

Do not smoke cigars on sofas.

Do not dance on velvet chairs.

Do not take a whale to visit Russell's mother's cousins yacht.

And whatever else you do do 

It is better you 

Do not.


The Proper way to meet a Hedgehog and other poems is a beautiful anthology filled with art images by Richard Jones. I was surprised to read he and Paul never met. This is a book to own and to share and it should be added to every library collection too. Read this Kirkus star review.

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