Zilot & Other Important Rhymes

by Bob Odenkirk, Erin Odenkirk (Contributor), Nate Odenkirk (Contributor)

A  New York Times  Bestseller!
An IndieBound Bestseller!
A USA Today Bestseller!

Emmy Award-winning and  New York Times  bestselling writer, comedian, and actor Bob Odenkirk and his daughter, illustrator Erin Odenkirk, present poetic nonsense for all ages perfect for fans of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky!

Bob Odenkirk began writing these poems with his children when they were little, compiling the poetry into a homemade book entitled Olde Time Rhymes . He wanted Nate and Erin to understand that actual people had written the books the family loved to read and to instill in them the feeling that they could be writers and illustrators themselves. Almost twenty years later, when the Odenkirks found themselves quarantined under the same roof, they revisited these mostly silly, sometimes poignant works. It wasn't until Erin began to create illustrations to accompany the words, though, that the book grew to be something much bigger than an Odenkirk family treasure.

From the titular made-up word for a blanket fort, an adorable dog with a penchant for the zoomies, and a father teaching his kids how umbrellas work, the subjects of these works, complemented by Erin’s whimsical and detailed linework, come alive on these pages. Featuring over seventy poems, Zilot & Other Important Rhyme s will delight readers young and old.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Fiction, Juvenile, Humor, Young Adult, Picture Books

160 pages, Hardcover

Published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for this very, very Seussian collection of kids poetry by “Mr. Show” himself, Bob Odenkirk with illustrations from his daughter Erin. Cute & fun, saul good, man!

[Alex Min · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob odenkirk has done it once again with his chicanery

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw the star of Better Call Saul wrote a kid’s book of poems I knew I wanted to read it!

This cute book of 74 poems is truly a family affair. Bob wrote, Erin illustrated and their children both narrate in the audio book.

I was fortunate to listen to the audio version while reading the poems. It was the best of both worlds! The voices and accompanying music adds a fun element but the illustrations also add to the fun!

Perfect for families with young children who want to read silly poems before bed.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky got together and made Bob Odenkirk, the result would be the poetry book, Zilot & Other Important Rhymes. This is not for everyone, but if you like a bit of hyperbole with your books, it works terribly swell!  

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable and hilarious compilation of fun poems- reminiscent of a Shel Silverstein! I loved it.

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of delightful poems & whimsical illustrations. Kids and adults will love them.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

We listened to the audiobook. A great time :)

[emtortles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy national poetry month!! This one was lots of fun and so sweet to find out it was a family project :))

[Sirah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book of silly poems. I was really excited about the title, as I thought this would be more about wordplay and rhymecraft, but it's kind of like Where the Sidewalk Ends but with worse rhythm. I won't deny that I enjoyed reading this book, but I will probably forget it. You tried.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this! The poems are silly and fun and the illustrations are great. Made me think of how much I loved A Light in the Attic when I was a kid.

[Alechia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silverstein nostalgia. Mindful adult reminders like Lollygagging, Incrementalism & Worry Juice. Sweet innocence like: Goodbye Dirt, Going & Going, Pet Glacier.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very amusing and charming.

[Janelle Bailey]

109: Zilot & Other Important Rhymes by Bob Odenkirk and illustrated by Erin Odenkirk

This is a very fun book, and I can see it serving a number of valuable purposes for a variety of audiences. I might read a poem an evening to a willing grandlittle, even over a FaceTime, or if teaching a younger grade (or a more willing audience), I might start the day each day with just one poem. If I were teaching in an English classroom at the high school level, I might use one or some of these as kickstarters, springboards for conversation and/or as writing prompts.

Every poem in here can inspire young writers (really, writers of of all ages) to value poetry for its creative form and its inventive nature, allowing for new perspectives and insights in ways that longer prose does not always. And for the poetry-averse, reading these in doses may open some closed minds to possibilities not totally childish in their understanding of things...differently.

With notes reminiscent of or hinting at Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, and others who make peppy and fun every subject, Odenkirk's poems inspire and cheer, no matter the subject.

One of my favorites is "Librarian Nancie," who has a little porthole-included reading nook on her ship. The illustration as much as the poem is what I enjoy, and the fact that it includes a copy of Sea Wolf in her stacks that much more beloved.

Another is "Inventing Words," found at the back, both encouragement for young readers and explanation of how this project came to be--its his-tor-ee.

Creative, compelling, and densely filled (150 pages!) with fun, poetry, illustrations, and wisdom, this is a great book to buy for those you love and wish to encourage more reading, period, and especially more reading of poetry.

[Dawn Livingston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saw that a movie called Nobody had a connection to John Wick so I decided to watch it. Liked Nobody better than John Wick, liked the humor and the music more. Then looked into who Odenkirk. Heard that he had been in both Breaking Bad and starred in Better Call Saul. Thought it was fascinating that a guy so well thought of for his serious roles could be so fantastic at action. The only thing about the movie was that he was supposed to pass for 40's or 50's but if you pay attention, he does look his age which is 60 something.

Anyway, not interested in his comedy writing and his non fiction book but heard about this book in a You Tube interview he did. Was surprised it only came out last year and that I could actually get it from my library.

Him and his kids would do poems at night before bed, or that's what I heard, and he kept a journal. The journal turned into the book with illustrations by his daughter. The illustrations seem to suit the material. They're cute/nice but not flashy.

The poems themselves were better than I expected; thoughtful, charming.

I will admit a guilty secret... I didn't finish the book. I know, I rated it 4 stars but the quality of the poems were consistent so I feel that though I didn't finish the whole book it would be just as nice as what I'd read. I'm just not a poem person. I'm not sure I'm a short story person. I want a novel, that's my favorite thing to read, though I do like to read articles in the news or magazines.

Oh well, this is a good book of poetry, if you like poetry, or if you have kids. Read it.

[Tim Esas · Rating 2 out of 5]

We all like Bob Odenkirk in many other contexts and therefore it would be natural to want to like this book too. But this book feels too much like someone just sat at home and made up some poems, without putting too much effort into the craft part of the poetry, which btw is exactly what he did. I read one interview where Mr. Odenkirk said something like (para-phrasing) 'Shel Silverstein's poetry is so perfect that it can be intimidating for people to want to write poetry, so I chose not to try to write perfect poetry'. Unfortunately that becomes obvious when you read this book. It's ok poetry, not great poetry. People will read it not for the poetry, but because it has Bob Odenkirk's name on it.

[Alyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book of poetry accomplished 2 things for me. First, was a prompt for the 52 Book Club challenge, but the other was my goal to read books from all of the sections in the elementary library where I work. This covered the 800s. These 70 poems were written by the author when his children were young.

During covid (this is in the backmatter) the family put the poems together and the author's daughter added images. It is a fun book of poetry that reminds me of Shel Silverstein. The poems embrace the joys of childhood with most being silly but others heartfelt.

2024 52 Book Club Challege #50 A musical instrument on the cover

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally grabbed this book because my son is a big fan of Bob Odenkirk. I thought that it was pretty cool that a celebrity author had written poems with his kids way back when.
The poems are silly, along the veins of Shel Silverstein or Jack Prelutsky, so they're sure to appeal to kids' wacky sense of humor. The illustrations are cartoonish and simplistic, and add to the poems' visual appeal.
I think my favorite part of the book, though, is the end, where the author explains how the poems came to be and how anyone can write poems, even kids! Kids can be readers AND writers.

[degelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hearing about this as a pandemic project because Bob Odenkirk, his wife and his two grown kids hunkered down together during 2020. I wasn't sure if it was a real thing that would be published, but here it is over three years later.

The poems themselves are quirky and sweet, but what really pulls everything together are Erin Odenkirk's illustrations and the layout of just about every page. As far as book design goes, this was wonderful. I just wish I there were some kids around to read this to. Still, this grown-up enjoyed it without reciting anything out loud.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Odenkirk, but didn’t love this. But I think it’s because I did audiobook instead of print. The print looks great; the illustrations by Bob’s daughter look amazing. But I thought that the audiobook was very uneven and didn’t do many of the poems’ rhythms justice. There are about 75 verses with a a lot of silliness and wordplay, most very clever. But some of the performances were so overacted that it distracted from the writing. Bob and Bob’s son were great-in fact, the kid was exceptional-but the others not so much.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as an audiobook
4 ⭐️ for the book - 3 ⭐️ for the audiobook
Poems were cute - definitely kid oriented
Some narrators were better than others making me give my overall star rating a 3
A lot of my narrator dissatisfaction had to do with talking quiet and then yelling, I had to turn up the volume to hear one particular narrator and then in that same poem with the same narrator they started talking so loud (really close to the mic🤷🏼‍♀️) It was very distracting - I had to keep my hand on the volume every-time that particular narrator read to constantly adjust

[Dawn Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. It's not really that special, unique, or even that interesting. Inoriginal ideas and rhyming that doesn't hit the msrk. With so many talented poetic wordsmiths in the children's poetry canon, Odenkirk's book should just continue to be a family collaboration that brings them warm memories of its creation.

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a 54 year old that does his best to never let go of his inner child, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It reminds me of times spent reading bedtime stories to my daughter when she was growing up. The illustrations are terrific. The whole thing is very reminiscent of Dr. Seuss in style and substance.

[Judith Squires · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've come to admire Bob Odenkirk's acting over the years and knew he was an accomplished writer. I bought an autographed copy of this book and enjoyed reading the Seuss-like rhymes and enjoyed the artwork by his daughter, Erin. I plan to hand it on to my elementary school teacher daughter. It's fun to read a children's book now and then, even now that my grandchildren have outgrown them.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly, clever and fun. I read only a few pages every day. It is full of imagination and best to enjoy in small amounts. I can see where it would be enjoyable to read with children and share in their thoughts and laughter.

[Danielle Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminds me a lot of Shel Silverstein's collections of poems...some silly, some thoughtful, some lessons to learn, others just for laughs. Great addition to a child's library for some poetry and riddles.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because it is a Beehive nominee for my state in the poetry category. This sometimes zany poetry collection is in the vein of Shel Silverstein and should be easy to promote to students. I liked it but wasn't blown away.

[Shaun M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun book of poetry with rather charming illustrations. It'd be a good gateway to getting younger kids into reading and writing their own poetry, and seems like it would be a fun read aloud if you're reading it with children.

[Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun and imaginative book of rhymes. Very cute my children love it

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun for all. recommend

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an homage to Shel Silverstein, in all the best ways. Delightful use of color, especially the "nighttime" poems, which are in "Dark Mode"