What if your kids thought playing with words and ideas was incredibly fun?

‘It was very weird and I love love love love love love love love love love love love this book.’

Kids and teens love ideas from left field, a play on words that makes them giggle and stretches their creative language skills.

‘Plug in and learn and have fun and laugh and get to know Tom Skinner. Feels like we may be discovering a new Theodor Geisel — a poet bound for success in his chosen genre.’

Call it what you will this quick ‘n’ quirky combination of poetry, youthful humor, silly phrases, puns and sketches is designed to challenge developing brains to look at language — and life — from a whole new perspective.

‘These are some awesome poems for kids. Where poetry seems to be “not cool” anymore this brings new life back to this timeless art form in a manner that any kid can appreciate!!’

Pavlov’s Dog provides a less-than-serious review of serious (?) scientific principles such as Pavlovian responses as well as playful comments and musings on manners, man caves, moose, cauliflower and chimps.

‘Very strange yet entertaining. Makes little sense but understood every word. Have to say that it's the most fun I've had reading poetry since ever!’

As a parent or teacher, you have probably already had some fun together with word association, punning, and experimentation via various forms of literature.

‘Some of them are pure silliness, but there is also flashes of true poetic genius in there too. Saying complicated things in a simple way takes more skill than we're often willing to admit.’

Eight short and sassy illustrated one page stories in crisp and quirky verse for smart kids (ages 8–15) who have been barking up the wrong poetry tree.

‘The poems are great, funny, whimsical and they roll of the tongue nicely. You don't have to spend a lot of time thinking about them, or wondering if you got the context, so great for non-poetry readers and older children.’

Buy Pavlov’s Dog to have some unexpected fun with verse today!

‘He doesn't try to be too quixotic or mysterious with his verse, and each short story poem (as I began thinking of them in my head) is succinct and wrapped up in itself. You can flip to any page at any time and find something that will surely entertain and inspire, even if you might laugh out loud at yourself for reading something so silly or childish (on the surface).'

Note: Pavlov’s Dog is the second book in the Get Your Wordsworth series. The other books, which can be read in any order are…Einstein’s Cat…It’s Slapstick…Plain Crazy…Too Much TV…Tractor Gate…Overload

Books 1–6 are also available as a box set (Get Your Wordsworth, Volume 1).

‘Overall, if you're looking for a new book of poetry to sink your teeth into, this probably isn't it (as it is short and relatively simple), but if you want your kids to read something that will make them laugh, teach them something, and also increase their appreciation for what poetry can do for the mind, then this would be an ideal choice. Honestly, it was a pleasure to read.'

What words would you, as a modern muse, use to describe this series?

It’s tough to describe because Get Your Wordsworth seems to be a new style of fiction or genre-busting poetry-prose…one that was deliberately designed to be much less rigid, formal or technical than the traditional poetry model and one that did not bore the buttocks off bright young people.

I call these short story poems fast blasts!

Tom Skinner

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