Messing Around on the Monkey Bars

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars

and other School Poems for Two Voices

Betsy Franco

illustrated by Jessie Hartland

 

Betsy Franco has authored over 75 books including poetry collections, picture books and a young adult novel. She also writes screenplays and sketch comedies. Jessie Hartland has written and illustrated eight picture books for children, including two that she also wrote.

Messing Around on the Monkey Bars contains 19 poems intended to be read aloud by two people.The reader 1 text is normal font, reader 2 has bold text and when they read at the same time the text is bold & italicized. Each poem is about school experiences from the school bus ride, to visiting the library, to the long-awaited recess period, to lunch, all the way up until the last bell of the day. 


Franco's short and fun poems have a sing-song cadence that are both entertaining and  energetic. The lines from "Jump Rope Jingle" are a good example of this: "Come on in./ I'll jump with you./ It's double fun/ to jump with two./ Jump, jump,/ spin around./ Jump jump,/ slap the ground./ Turn to the east./ Turn to the west./ Choose the one/ you like the best. If I had to select one book to be used to get children excited about poetry it would definitely be this one. 

Hartland's memorable illustrations are quirky but loveable. One of the first things I noticed is that many of the inanimate objects are drawn as being alive. The bus for the "Wild Bus Ride" poem has eyes, lips, and sharp teeth and the children are shown crawling out of its opened mouth. The objects shown for the "Anatomy Class" poem are alive as well; the ruler is winking, the chair has arms and the show is sticking out its tongue, which adds humor to the text. The teacher looks mean and the librarian is old and has glasses. My favorite illustration accompanies the "Homework Blues" poem, which talks about an alien stealing homework and shows a smiling alien walking up a ladder to his UFO.

Professional Reviews for Messing Around on the Monkey Bars:

• Booklist: "Hartland's energetic gouache illustrations add interest, portraying relevant objects and lively scenes in a childlike style with cartoonlike details."

• School Library Journal: "An enjoyable romp through playgrounds and cafeterias, this book will please class poets, performers, and clowns alike."
• ForeWord Magazine: "the poems are fun, provocative, and include lots of onomatopoetics. Jessie Hartlands always fresh and lively illustrations are the perfect accompaniment. This book should be a standard in classrooms."

Books by Betsy Franco
Interview with Betsy Franco
Click here for classroom activities to accompany the book.

Franco, Betsy. Messing Around on the Monkey Bars: and other School Poems for Two Voices. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2009. 

ISBN 978-0-7636-3174-1

$13.95 at Barnes & Noble

Work consulted: Vardell, Sylvia M. Children's Literature in Action: A Librarian's Guide. Connecticut: Libraries Unlimited, 2008.