Words, Words, Words by Mary O'Neill illustrated by Judy Piussi-Campbell

This poem is entitled The Wonderful Words an it is the final poem in this book

This is that strange week between Christmas and New Year. Nothing much is happening so I decided to empty all my bookshelves, do some culling and then re-organise everything. YES I do have heaps of books and YES this was a bit overwhelming but I am now nearly finished - just one huge shelf to go.

Along the way I found this book from 1966. It is an old library book that I rescued decades ago. It is in fairly poor shape but it is a treasure. As a child I adored the famous poetry book by Mary O'Neill Hailstones and Halibut bones. Mary O'Neill was born on February 16, 1905 in New York City. Mary died on January 2, 1990 in Yuma, Arizona, USA. Judy Piussi-Campbell also illustrated Big Red Hen also by Mary O'Neill. 

Here is another poem from Words, Words, Words:

FEELINGS ABOUT WORDS by Mary O'Neill

Some words clink

As ice in drink

Some move with grace

A dance, a lace.

Some sound thin:

Wail, scream and pin

Some words are squat:

A mug, a pot,

And some are plump,

Fat, round and dump.

Some words are light:

Drift, lift, and bright

A few are small

A, is and all.

And some are thick,

Glue, paste and brick.

Some words are sad:

“I never had…”

And others are gay:

Joy, spin and play.

Some words are sick:

Stab, scratch and nick.

Some words are hot:

Fire, flame and shot.

Some words are sharp,

Sword, point and carp.

And some alert

Glint, Glance and flirt.

Some words are lazy:

Saunter, hazy.

And some words preen

Pride, pomp and Queen.

Some words are quick,

A jerk, a flick.

Some words are slow:

Lag, stop and grow,

While others poke

As ox with yoke.

Some words can fly-

There’s wind, there’s high;

And some words cry:

“Goodbye…

Goodbye…”

Here is the 1966 Kirkus review:

Sixty some odd rhymes, mostly short, many devoted to driving home the wandering rules of English grammar. Teachers of the intermediate grades, faced with the frustration of drilling this coded illogic have always grabbed at mnemonic aids, visual gimmicks, chants, etc. In Words Words Words, they will find some carefully constructed props and prods to memory with built-in examples of syntax, punctuation, and spelling. (It has) a range of style and a quiet humor all its own. Some of the poems that limn the beauty and magic and pleasure of words are as good as any that Mrs. O'Neill provided for Hailstones and Halibut Bones.

I Yam a Donkey by Cece Bell

Language can be so confusing. "I am" - two words which might sound like "I yam".  Add in the complication of an actual Yam and a silly donkey and you have a perfect recipe for fun. The conversation goes back and forth and the frustration levels of poor Yam are so funny. This is a book to read aloud. It is sure to tickle your funny bone.

"Okay. So what you is saying is that you is a donkey, right?"
"NO! I am not a donkey! And it's not 'you is'! It's 'you are'! You are, you are, you are!"

I read one reviewer who mentioned children might not know about yams? 

The wordplay is kid-pleasingly silly with a tiny whiff of sophistication: you have to know what a yam is in order to get the joke, for example, and also have a rudimentary grasp of grammar. Horn Book

Image Source North Carolina Sweet Potatoes

You can see the art from this book here on Seven Impossible Things.

Here is another book by Cece Bell which I talked about on this blog - Rabbit and Robot - the Sleepover.

There is a sequel to I Yam A Donkey - You loves Ewe (2019).

I was interested to read Cece Bell is married to Tom Angleberger author of the terrific Origami Yodi series which are perfect for Middle Grade readers.

It is not on the same topic but I would pair I Yam a Donkey with Wonkey Donkey - just because it is another very funny book about donkeys.