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Doodle Soup
Thirty-eight poems, mostly humorous, by the well-known poet.
64 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
2 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
John Ciardi
153 books33 followersJohn Anthony Ciardi was an American poet, translator, editor, writer and etymologist.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 6, 2020
What we enjoyed as a family for poetry month.
November 8, 2020
I don't really remember reading this as a child, but I remember it always being on the shelf. Looking through it today none of the poems were familiar, some of them were clever, but many surprised me as rather cynical and almost mean. Maybe it's a kind of humor that appeals to kids that I'm not in touch with any more, but as we're trying to clear up some space, I don't think we'll be holding on to this one.
January 12, 2026
Ciardi serves up a collection of nonsense and humorous poems, along with a smattering of clever ones. In "Doing a Good Deed," the boys of the community help free the ice cream truck from the mudhole by eating all that heavy ice cream. In "How Much Is a Gross?" Ciardi explains how twelve kangaroos, each wearing twelve tennis shoes, would altogether be wearing a gross of tennis shoes. In "The Chap Who Disappeared," the chap has tried to climb to the second floor of a tent he had not yet pitched: "Or it may be he never knew / Two-story tents are very few. / So few that there are none at all. / Which left him in the upper hall / Of nowhere. Which may well explain / Why he was never seen again." Humorous illustrations in ink by Merle Nacht decorate the pages.
November 23, 2020
This book has 38 poems that are humorous and interesting for young readers. This book is recommended for students in grades 3-4.
February 16, 2012
Doodle Soup is a very good book. It is a book of a bunch of short poems. The poems are very funny. A few of my favorite poems from this book are "About Trapping in the North Woods", "Why Pigs Cannot Write Poems", and "Ding- a - Ling". All of the poems in this book are very catchy. As a reader you can tell that John Ciardi put a lot of time in when it came to writing these poems. Whether you are a young or old reader you will enjoy reading this collection of peoms.
One criteria of peom that Doodle Soup meets is the criteria of sound. In every single poem in this book the lines rhyme. The rhymes are exact rhymes they are not just close sounds too. One example from this text is how the words head and dead rhyme in the poem " Abour Trapping in the North Woods". The images presented in this text are exacly as stated in the poems. They are a clear picture of the text from the poem. For example, in "Why Pigs Cannot Write Poems" the picture is a pig sitting in a library surrounded by books trying to figure out what to put in his poem. This illustration is pretty much what you would picture in your mind after reading this poem. The poems in Doodle Soup are extremely funny. The titles are even funny. After reading these poems you will be in very good spritits. There is definatly positive stretch in this book. Every poem definalty relates to a childs good side as well as use creative words in each and every ones of the poems. A creative word that was used in the peom "Ding- a- Ling" is the word craw. Craw is not a word that you see and or use everyday. Doodle Soup would be appropiate in many situations. This book could be used in the classroom as a read aloud book. When you students seem upset or in a negative mood you could read this book to them to help cheer them up and get them laughing.
Through out the whole time I read Doodle Soup I couldn't stop laughing. It was a great book in my opinion. I would definatly read this book again. I really liked how the rhymes in each peom were perfect rhymes. I also like how the pictures for each poem were closely related to the text. I could relate the poem "Aboug Trapping in the North Woods" because I enjoy the outdoors and the things stated in this poem would be something that I would do.
One criteria of peom that Doodle Soup meets is the criteria of sound. In every single poem in this book the lines rhyme. The rhymes are exact rhymes they are not just close sounds too. One example from this text is how the words head and dead rhyme in the poem " Abour Trapping in the North Woods". The images presented in this text are exacly as stated in the poems. They are a clear picture of the text from the poem. For example, in "Why Pigs Cannot Write Poems" the picture is a pig sitting in a library surrounded by books trying to figure out what to put in his poem. This illustration is pretty much what you would picture in your mind after reading this poem. The poems in Doodle Soup are extremely funny. The titles are even funny. After reading these poems you will be in very good spritits. There is definatly positive stretch in this book. Every poem definalty relates to a childs good side as well as use creative words in each and every ones of the poems. A creative word that was used in the peom "Ding- a- Ling" is the word craw. Craw is not a word that you see and or use everyday. Doodle Soup would be appropiate in many situations. This book could be used in the classroom as a read aloud book. When you students seem upset or in a negative mood you could read this book to them to help cheer them up and get them laughing.
Through out the whole time I read Doodle Soup I couldn't stop laughing. It was a great book in my opinion. I would definatly read this book again. I really liked how the rhymes in each peom were perfect rhymes. I also like how the pictures for each poem were closely related to the text. I could relate the poem "Aboug Trapping in the North Woods" because I enjoy the outdoors and the things stated in this poem would be something that I would do.
March 16, 2015
Double Soup is a compilation of humorous and silly poems by John Ciardi. This book emphasizes the joy of being a kid and jokingly encourages kids to “never grow up.” The majors themes of the poems include having fun, developing friendships, and being adventurous. Children of all ages are sure to love these poems! My favorite poem in the book is “Ding-a-Ling.” This poem intrigues the reader to find out what is going to happen next, and then ends with the words “April Fools,” leaving readers laughing at themselves for falling for the joke of the poem. The images provided in the book also add another great element to the poems. Although they are all simple, black and white illustrations, they each give readers an image to visualize when reading each poem. This helps to engage the reader even further. All of the poems and illustrations are very engaging and fun to read!
Double Soup would be a great addition to any classroom! In younger classrooms, the book could be used to teach rhyming words and the basic ideas of poetry. Young students would love the entertaining rhymes of each poem, but would most likely have a difficult time understanding the humor. Therefore, I believe this book would be specifically great to use in 3rd-5th grade classrooms. As a teacher, I would use this book as a sporadic read aloud or choral reading. Instead of reading all of the poems at once, it can be most effectively used quickly during down-time and transition times in the classroom. Because the poems are so positive and uplifting, the teacher could read a couple of poems at various points throughout the day to give students a quick break between instructional activities. This could be a great way to let students reengage and recharge during the day. This book could also be used effectively during a poetry lesson. Although the poems would be a rather easy read for upper elementary students, they would provide examples of poetry and allow students to analyze different aspects of various types of poetry. This truly is a book that I would love to use in my future classroom! Students are sure to love the catchy poems, and I believe it would be an excellent way to incorporate a mental break into a long school day.
Double Soup would be a great addition to any classroom! In younger classrooms, the book could be used to teach rhyming words and the basic ideas of poetry. Young students would love the entertaining rhymes of each poem, but would most likely have a difficult time understanding the humor. Therefore, I believe this book would be specifically great to use in 3rd-5th grade classrooms. As a teacher, I would use this book as a sporadic read aloud or choral reading. Instead of reading all of the poems at once, it can be most effectively used quickly during down-time and transition times in the classroom. Because the poems are so positive and uplifting, the teacher could read a couple of poems at various points throughout the day to give students a quick break between instructional activities. This could be a great way to let students reengage and recharge during the day. This book could also be used effectively during a poetry lesson. Although the poems would be a rather easy read for upper elementary students, they would provide examples of poetry and allow students to analyze different aspects of various types of poetry. This truly is a book that I would love to use in my future classroom! Students are sure to love the catchy poems, and I believe it would be an excellent way to incorporate a mental break into a long school day.
Read
February 24, 2012Doodle Soup is a book of humorous poems. It includes poems about all kinds of different subjects. They are rhythmic and entertaining.
This collection of poems involves a lot of rhyming and flowing structure. The poems are meant to be entertaining and fun so the rhythm of the poems supports the nature of it. The poems definitely give a lot of imagery. It gives the actions of the subjects, provides the reader with adjectives of the subjects, and there are illustrations to go with it. I believe the poems do provide a bit of insight in some of the poems in the collection. For example, there is a poem about Indians. This could lead to a history lesson. There is another poem asking about why water is wet. This could lead to a science lesson. The poems could definitely be used in a poetry lesson about rhyming because of all the rhyming it inclues.
I enjoyed the poems a lot. I thought they were funny and could be used in the classroom as a start of lessons. For example, there were a few poems that had math involved. The first poem of the collection, "The Old Lady in Bumbletown," had some addition possibilities involving animals and colors. I believe though it is humorous, it could be used for a lot more than that just fun.
This collection of poems involves a lot of rhyming and flowing structure. The poems are meant to be entertaining and fun so the rhythm of the poems supports the nature of it. The poems definitely give a lot of imagery. It gives the actions of the subjects, provides the reader with adjectives of the subjects, and there are illustrations to go with it. I believe the poems do provide a bit of insight in some of the poems in the collection. For example, there is a poem about Indians. This could lead to a history lesson. There is another poem asking about why water is wet. This could lead to a science lesson. The poems could definitely be used in a poetry lesson about rhyming because of all the rhyming it inclues.
I enjoyed the poems a lot. I thought they were funny and could be used in the classroom as a start of lessons. For example, there were a few poems that had math involved. The first poem of the collection, "The Old Lady in Bumbletown," had some addition possibilities involving animals and colors. I believe though it is humorous, it could be used for a lot more than that just fun.
March 27, 2009
A fun little collection of silly poems that made me chuckle. To quote my favorite one called "Frizzing":
It snew all night. By the next noon
Eleven feet of sney had snoon.
I jumped out of bed and snoze.
The snuz stopped in midair and roze.
"Dear wife," I said, "how cold it is!"
My words fell from my lips and friz.
I shivered a whole shrip of shovers.
Said she from underneath the covers.,
"Don't you know what time it is?
I think you should not have ariz."
And I, agreeing with her views,
Snugged back and snoze another snooze.
It snew all night. By the next noon
Eleven feet of sney had snoon.
I jumped out of bed and snoze.
The snuz stopped in midair and roze.
"Dear wife," I said, "how cold it is!"
My words fell from my lips and friz.
I shivered a whole shrip of shovers.
Said she from underneath the covers.,
"Don't you know what time it is?
I think you should not have ariz."
And I, agreeing with her views,
Snugged back and snoze another snooze.
Read
April 3, 2012This compilation of short poems displays humor and creativity, and is embellished with zany illustrations that bring the rhymes to life. I think this collection of poems would be enjoyable to read aloud to children because of the fun rhymes. However, I also find that children might find the humor hard to understand. Teacher guidance is recommended.
October 16, 2012
This book has a collection of over 30 humorous poems. Each poem has imagery, wittiness, and themes that children can relate to such as pets, hygiene, home, and money. Some poems have illustrations as well in black and white coloring. I definitely think children will enjoy reading these poems aloud because of the fluency and rhyming words.
July 19, 2014
Want an older book filled with poetry that will make you laugh along with your children? This is it. There is something for everyone, fun outside and in, turning words into different words, discovering animals are not always what they seem. I enjoyed the kinship with more recent humorous writers like Shel Silverstein. Find a copy if you can and get ready to laugh!
September 21, 2011
"Doodle Soup" is a collection of fun and silly poems for children. All the poems follow the basic rhyming scheme of AABB or ABAB which are the most familiar to young students. I would use this book to introduce students to poetry and rhyming.
December 7, 2011
This is a very cute book of short poems. This would be a great book for read-alouds after lunch, or during transitions with in the classroom. Older children would especially enjoy this book. Very young children may have trouble understanding the humor.
May 12, 2012
The poems in this book were very simple, and had very simple rhymes. They were however, very entertaining. Some of the poems such as "The Dangers of Taking Baths", were a little odd and seemed kind of dark. Young children will be very entertained by these poems.
May 30, 2008
I read the poem, "The Dangers of Taking Baths."
November 7, 2009
Doddle soup is a unfunny poem book. I started reading it because of the title and cover looked funny but I was wrong. If you where to pick up a poem dont pick up this book!
May 1, 2014
Collection of poems, mostly humorous.
April 19, 2015
This was great book of poetry. These are little short poems that would make kids laugh. I think my favorite was Ding-a-Ling.
April 10, 2017
A winning collection of poems by a master poet. The timeless emotions, situations, relationships, and dilemmas make this an appealing classic throughout the ages, yet each poem feels fresh and fun decades after it was written.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews