Concrete poems are as much about shape and space as they are about language. The words of each poem are arranged to suggest an image related to the poem’s meaning: a ball bouncing for a basketball poem, a swirl of words heading down a toilet bowl for a poem about being sick. Each poem in this collection is one of 11-year-old Robert’s thoughts on life. His odes to pizza and baseball are as appreciative and fun as his thank-you notes and fart poems are sarcastic and snotty. He loves to play with language and ideas but gets into his fair share of trouble in a book that will be irresistible to poetry fans and disdainers alike. John Grandits uses a variety of patterns and fonts, providing information on each typeface that will be of special interest for readers who have an interest in poetry or design. (Ages 8–14)

An eleven-year-old boy named Robert voices typical-and not so typical-middle-grade concerns in this unique, memorable collection of hilarious poems. His musings cover the usual stuff, like pizza, homework, thank-you notes, and his annoying older sister. In addition, he speculates about professional wrestling for animals, wonders why no one makes scratch-and-sniff fart stickers, designs the ultimate roller coaster (complete with poisonous spiders), and deconstructs the origins of a new word, snarpy. A playful layout and ingenious graphics extend the wry humor that is sure to resonate with readers of all ages.