Odenkirk, Bob. Zilot & Other Important Rhymes. Erin Odenkirk, Illus. Little, Brown, 10/2023. 150pp. Poetry. Trade $19.99. 978-0-316-43850-6. GRADES 1–5. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Imaginative poems make up this original collection that may remind some of the work of Shel Silverstein or Dr. Seuss. Although the rhyme schemes don’t always flow well, the author uses invented words such as Zilot, which is his family’s name for a blanket fort, and covers a variety of concepts including life’s frustrations or wacky people. With over one hundred poems, there is a mix of successes and near misses with the rhyming words, but overall this is a fun collection. The charming ink cartoon drawings with watercolor wash are inviting and are well suited to the poems. Odenkirk, an actor and television writer, wrote the poems with his now adult children over several years, beginning when they were young. His daughter illustrated the collection.
Penny Peck—SJSU iSchool