Review: DOODLE DANDIES by J. Patrick Lewis

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lewis, J. Patrick. 1998. Doodle Dandies. Ill. by Lisa Desimini. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 068981075X

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Doodle Dandies is a collection of shape poems by J. Patrick Lewis which are paired with the colorful, creative illustrations of Lisa Desimini. Each poem not only presents the reader with fun verses but also an image made from the words that make up each verse. Although it is sometimes a challenge to make out what direction the words are taking, this creative use of words adds to the appeal of the book.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
What a fun book! Each poem is presented in the shape of its subject. The words are arranged so creatively that, in almost every poem, the reader already knows what the poem will be about before reading a single word. The words are arranged such that the imagery of the word choice is mirrored in the way the letters and words flow on the page. In “Winter” the white letters of the words flow down the page across the dark sky like snowflakes. Lewis chooses such child-friendly subjects as a dachshund, baseball, a tiger, basketball, and skyscrapers. The variety of subjects speaks to the wide-ranging interests of young children. There is definitely something here for everyone.

The brightly colored illustrations only heighten the charm of the poetry. Even the color of the font correlates to the words. For example, the brown “underground” words in “First Burst of Spring” give way to the green words and pink exclamation point in the word “bud.” Another wonderful effect is achieved in “Big Cat.” The light reflected on the half of the tiger on the day side contrasts dramatically with the shaded hues of the tiger with his glowing eye at night.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY review: “The interplay between words and pictures effectively conjures images from seasons, to sports, to the jungle. From endpaper to doodled endpaper, this mix of clever language and visual delights makes a dandy treat for all ages."
BOOKLIST review: “The very mixed media art is full of textures and dark, rich colors that repay close examination. A dandy way indeed to begin a journey to poetry.”

5. CONNECTIONS
Challenge students to create a shape poem of their own. To make the task more manageable, students could be given a blackline of their subject and shape the poem to fit inside the outline. Younger students may want to choose a poem about their favorite subject and form it into a shape poem.

Read other books that include shape poems such as:
Roemer, Heidi B. Come to My Party and other Shape Poems. ISBN 0805066209
Graham, Joan Bransfield. Flicker Flash. ISBN 0618311025

Read other books of poetry by J. Patrick Lewis such as:
Please Bury Me in the Library. ISBN 0152163875
A Hippopotamusn’t. ISBN 0803705190
The World’s Greatest: Poems. ISBN 0811851303