The Hopeful Trout and Other Limericks

by John Ciardi, Susan Meddaugh (Illustrator), Edward Gorey (Photographer)

A collection of limericks about such characters as the Elephant Boy, the fast fiddler from Middletown, and the silly old skinflint named Quince.

Sometimes even parents win --
It came from outer space --
He was brave, but not for long --
Iron men and wooden ships --
Heights made him dizzy

Genres: Poetry, Childrens

52 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1989

About the author

John Anthony Ciardi was an American poet, translator, editor, writer and etymologist.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The limerick is my favorite form of verse, it is short, yet can be hard to write as you need to make sure you have all the right words. There are 41 limericks in this book and while children are the target audience, the material is offbeat enough to also appeal to adults. All are silly, there is little in the way of serious substance.
If you enjoy limericks in general or just silly verse in particular, this is a book that you will enjoy. It is simple, clean fun for all ages.

[Kathryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is truly the worst book I have found at the library for children. I understand limericks are generally a insulting form but in the context of children these might be a little softer. Definitely don’t want my kids committing any of these to memory.

[Owen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several quite funny limericks, but many of them very mean, especially in the first section — I couldn't bring myself to read them out loud to my daughter.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an opportunity to get your kid hooked on one
of the silliest art forms in the world!
Limericks have an appealing rhythm and their simple
meter and extremely tolerant rhyme scheme invite kids
to play along.
By about age six,(when some of the rhymes in the book
may be losing their appeal) it's time to turn to your
young listener and say :"There was a young woman named
Annie..." and invite her to make up a rhyme.

Your reward could be a child with a lifetime addiction
to silliness. You could, believe me, do a lot worse.

[Kimberlee Gutterman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The way this book reads sounds like and reminds me of "Little Miss Muffet" because of how its rhymed and how you're supposed to pause when you read it. Children will like this book because it is very silly and it jokes about how parents act from the child's perspective. I think this is really important because adults often overlook how a child thinks and their reasoning for why they think things are happening to and around them. Another thing I liked about this book was that the chapters were organized into different themes.

[Kelly Triplett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to read aloud to a classroom of children. It is easy to follow and will surely keep the attention of even young readers/listeners. Most children will be able to identify with the silly situations. The limericks will likely leads to conversations and could also be incorporated into language arts lessons when children can write their own limericks. This book would be a fun and engaging way to teach a new style of writing.

[Robert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh.

This is a collection of silly limericks. It doesn't impress me. The best one follows:

Willis C. Sick

There was a young man on a ship
Who counted each pitch and each dip.

Each roll and each yaw,
Each sea and each saw

On a twenty-six-thousand-mile trip.

[Hannah Guerra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fun book is a collection of limericks by John Ciardi. They are best for 1-5 grade. There are a total of 45 limericks that range in topics from friendship to animals to fantasy. This book has an overall theme of plain entertainment. It is fun and will keep you smiling.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silly Metered poetry for kids.

[Rachel]

I read "Keeping Busy is Better Than Nothing" in this book. It has pencil drawings. The poems are short and fun.

[Emila Yusof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun limericks!

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The type of poetry called limericks are written by John Ciardi in this book. Limericks are humorous so these will be fun to read.

[Bryan Spahr]

read for school in 3rd grade