Higgle Wiggle: Happy Rhymes

by Eve Merriam, Hans Wilhelm (Illustrator)

A collection of short poems about various objects and animals, including mashed potatoes, keys, and a bird in a sweet gum tree

1 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1994

About the author

Born as Eve Moskovitz, American poet and writer

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eve Merriam is so prolific that most readers, including me, will love some of her stuff, and be nonplussed by some of the rest. The verses here reflect that: some I like quite a bit, others seem just ok. But the thing is, it's unlikely that your favorites match mine, or that your child will agree with either of us. There is quite a variety in here, and so I do recommend it.

If you don't do anything else with the book, memorize the following, and recite to your child when she's working up to a temper tantrum. I bet you'll get giggles instead, especially if you, yourself, follow the instructions and make that angry face.

*How to Be Angry*

Scrunch your eyebrows
up to your hair,
pull on your chin
and glare glare glare,

puff out your cheeks,
puff puff puff,
then take a deep breath
and huff huff huff.

I also liked the more current/ relevant alternative to "One Two Button Your Shoe:"

*Counting*

One for the rooster
two for the hen,
three for the pig,
four for the pen.

Five for the garden,
six for the snail,
seven for the boat,
eight for the sail.

Nine for the bluebird,
ten for the nest,
and you are the one
I love the best.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Merriam provides a silly book of poetry that is meant to entertain young readers. I found it enjoyable enough as a child, and it's long enough that you'll need more than one sitting to go through it, but as an adult I'm not too sure if it's really anything extraordinary.

[Emmy Ryan]

this book is a great way to show children what poetry is. all poems were easy to follow along with. the pictures consisted of mostly animals.

[Jesse Albers · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to cope with emotions

Teach poetry unit, coping with our feelings

[Joey Gremillion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, Shel Silverstein-esque but a poor imitation. Very nice poems though. Not great, but cute.