Review of Blue Lipstick; Concrete Poems

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grandits, John. 2007. BLUE LIPSTICK: CONCRETE POEMS. New York: Clarion. ISBN 9780618568604

PLOT SUMMARY
This collection of poems by John Grandits centers around Jessie, a teenage girl and her family, friends, and life at school. She is irritated by her younger brother, Robert, jocks, cheerleaders, grownups talking and many things that irritate most teenagers. She loves her "rocker girl" image that she tries to maintain, music, volleyball, and her cat, Boo-boo Kitty. The poems are a humorous look into the life of a teenage girl, and the shape of the poems in text is extremely amusing.

Critical Analysis
Reading this book is a workout! The reader must turn the book in many directions to read the text, which is used to 'illustrate' the poem, making it quite delightful. Each page brings a new look at a usually mundane subject, like the poem titled "My Absolutely Bad Cranky Day". The poem spans a two-page spread requiring the reader to turn the book sideways and the timeline runs the length of her day. Each line has a letter of the alphabet highlighted (in order, of course), and the text runs through each letter as Jessie explains her day. The most unusual poem is "Go Look In The Mirror!" where her father tells her that she may not leave the house looking like that, then after she questions him, he tells her to go look at herself. The text is then placed in the 'mirror frame' and the reader must then choose to read the poem in a mirror or have the ability to read reverse print. She then describes her look and simply cannot understand what is wrong with how she looks!

This book is quite amusing, irreverent, and hilarious. The design of the book is unique. Children should enjoy the zany text twisting while reading it, and poetry may become a genre they enjoy more after reading this book. I wish it had been around when I was a child!

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

School Library Journal- "This irreverent, witty collection should resonate with a wide audience."

Horn Book-"A cover that'll grab adolescent girls' attention-and the poetry inside is equally appealing."

CONNECTIONS
Grandits, John. 2004. TECHNICALLY, IT'S NOT MY FAULT: CONCRETE POEMS. ISBN 061842833X
Janeczko, Paul B. A POKE IN THE I. ISBN 0763606618