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FEG: Ridiculous Stupid Poems for Intelligent Children
A witty and wise collection of twenty-three poems is accompanied by educational and entertaining explanatory notes, inviting readers to discover the joy of language.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
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September 1, 2017Right now I'm weeding in the poetry section and it is tough going! But this collection was really entertaining, there is no way I could let it go. There are SO MANY very clever rhymes and puzzles that I think would be great for an older kid who likes puzzles (regardless of whether or not they are a strong reader). And there are footnotes*! The design of the whole book is kind of dated, but still simple and clean goofy in a way that's making a bit of a comeback so I didn't feel so bad about keeping it.
*Kids love those right?
*Kids love those right?
November 29, 2018
One of my favorite books of poetry to share with young writers and the people who teach them. So inventive!
I've used "Murder Most Vowel" as a model and writing prompt in kids' poetry workshops. It's a fun way to teach -- and enjoy -- wordplay.
I've used "Murder Most Vowel" as a model and writing prompt in kids' poetry workshops. It's a fun way to teach -- and enjoy -- wordplay.
October 20, 2017
Poems with clever wordplay more appropriate for an older child (or even adult).
January 31, 2023
This is an interesting book and has a really cool premise but something about it fell kinda flat for me. There's a lot about wordplay in here and a lot of notes that sort of explain what's going on.
April 4, 2026
Fun to share with kids.
September 27, 2017
“We hope that you can enter these poems with the same spirit of play in which we wrote them,” writes Robin Hirsch.
Fun. Although presented as silliness, this forty-eight-page book also serves as a broad overview of poetry as an art form. Plenty of original word play here, as expressed through different styles of poetry. Some poems play silly on the surface, while the meaning of others happens below the surface, at a deeper level.
“Half the fun of poetry is figuring out what the poet meant,” writes Robin.
My favorites included “You Enter a Poem” and “Ewe Rhyme.”
This book from 2002 probably will pair well with a new book, I'm Just No Good at Rhyming and Other Noodlings for Precocious Children, Typical Youth, and Weirdly Immature Grownups, which also sounds like fun.
Fun. Although presented as silliness, this forty-eight-page book also serves as a broad overview of poetry as an art form. Plenty of original word play here, as expressed through different styles of poetry. Some poems play silly on the surface, while the meaning of others happens below the surface, at a deeper level.
“Half the fun of poetry is figuring out what the poet meant,” writes Robin.
My favorites included “You Enter a Poem” and “Ewe Rhyme.”
This book from 2002 probably will pair well with a new book, I'm Just No Good at Rhyming and Other Noodlings for Precocious Children, Typical Youth, and Weirdly Immature Grownups, which also sounds like fun.
September 8, 2016
Just by looking at the title of this poetry book, one can tell that it is not your traditional children's poetry book. The cover is bright and and instantly grabs your attention. The inside pages are just as colorful with an index and a two page description of how this collection of poems turned into a published book. These poems are quick, fun and unpredictable in their content. There are a variety of poem types and some of them don't make much sense at first glance. However, underneath all of the poems there is a paragraph or two description of what the poem is truly about and what the authors intended for the readers to take away from the poem. I think this poem book is exciting and overflowing with creativity but I would not recommend this book for anyone in elementary school. The book has a wide range of vocabulary that would be tough for children below middle school age. Some of the poems also have abstract concepts in them that elementary student's may struggle to understand. I would highly recommend this book for middle school students and up in order to inspire them to be fearlessly creative in their reading and writing. It was very enjoyable read that kept me on my toes.
December 9, 2010
Themes: wordplay, wit, creativity, silliness
Although the title of this book says that it’s for children, when I read it, I thought that the content was more targeted toward mid-grade to young teens (11-14 year-olds, ish). Each poem in this collection contains some kind of witty message or wordplay inherent to it, which made me feel like I was reading an entire book of inside jokes between me and the author. It’s got amusing illustrations with each poem, but even more amusing are the footnotes at the bottom of each poem. There, the author wittily expounds on the joke(s) made in the poem, while still teaching the reader something new and interesting in a non-didactic way. All in all, a very funny, whimsical, and creative collection of poetry, and a charming read.
Although the title of this book says that it’s for children, when I read it, I thought that the content was more targeted toward mid-grade to young teens (11-14 year-olds, ish). Each poem in this collection contains some kind of witty message or wordplay inherent to it, which made me feel like I was reading an entire book of inside jokes between me and the author. It’s got amusing illustrations with each poem, but even more amusing are the footnotes at the bottom of each poem. There, the author wittily expounds on the joke(s) made in the poem, while still teaching the reader something new and interesting in a non-didactic way. All in all, a very funny, whimsical, and creative collection of poetry, and a charming read.
February 10, 2011
I got this book for Christmas, and I didn't know what to expect. What kind of poems are these? Are they so complicated I won't be able to understand them, or will they be so simple a baby could get them? I opened the book, and I was amazed. These poems used wordplay! Some of my personal favorites are "Belatedly," "Onomotopoeia," and the ones that use puns on words like sorcerer and pharmacist. I'm still looking for the meanings of some of the poems, especially the beginning poem, "FEG." It's a lot of fun, and it's especially great if you love words.
April 19, 2016
F E G is F U N. If you like lighthearted poetry, word games, or just enjoy words you should get this book. I love how it originated from three people playing with words. I have to admit I had to think hard about some of these as I have not thought of some of these terms since my younger days. I recommend for all middle school and high school teachers that teach units on poetry or higher level language. To the author- thanks for sharing your fun!
October 5, 2009
This book took poetry and made it fun for me to read. The poems were catchy and upbeat, they never got boring. The poems were short and simple. The pages had colorful text and funny pictures. It even had author commentary underneath each poem just in case I did not understand the poem.
What I learned about from this book was that poems can have comedy and still work.
What I learned about from this book was that poems can have comedy and still work.
October 24, 2012
I thought the book was very well done. I like how each poem really makes you think about what it means and how to read it. I also liked how at the bottom of the page it explains something about the poem. The abstract art on the pages was really cool too. Overall, the book was a great poetry anthology and I'm glad I got to read it.
November 5, 2008
Ridiculously funny poems.
We enjoyed reading them and laughing. At the bottom of the pages is commentary that helps explain the poem, words that are used such as oy vay, and types of poems such as Haiku.
Insightful as well as funny. Brilliant idea for a children's poetry book.
We enjoyed reading them and laughing. At the bottom of the pages is commentary that helps explain the poem, words that are used such as oy vay, and types of poems such as Haiku.
Insightful as well as funny. Brilliant idea for a children's poetry book.
May 21, 2009
This book has a different type of poetry on each page. It gives a good example to kids of how many different types of poetry there are and also how they can be fun.
August 24, 2009
Fun. The author (and his children) clearly enjoyed themselves playing with language and creating these poems. If you like wordplay, you might have almost as much fun reading them.
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June 14, 2011see posting in class discussion on poetry for my review
August 1, 2014
Great fun! The footnotes were almost the best part!!
February 27, 2015
I really enjoyed the book and all the nonsense poems, they were really unique and very different than what I have read. I would use this book as an individual read for ages 8-10.
January 21, 2016
Unique, thought-provoking, and fun. I believe both children and adults could enjoy reading this to each other.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews