Some books for the little ones, some fun for you
It’s time to put away the books
About politicos and other crooks,
No more fat novels for today,
It’s time to have some fun and play.
So welcome all to Rubin Land,
That’s Adam Rubin, you understand,
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Kids’ book author extraordinaire,
Come on, young pups, pull up a chair!
First up is Rubin’s book High Five,
To teach that hand the way to jive,
Here you’ll meet the High Five King,
And slap the palm of everything.
From Kangaroo to elephant
You slap the page — it’s quite a stunt!
You slap the paws of lizard and bear
You High Five away without a care.
Who knew the fun of slapping a book?
Go ahead, pop it, and throw your best hook!
Aim for the gold and win the prize
And be the best High Fiver alive!
Here’s a read-aloud, Mom and Dad,
To please your little lass and lad,
But protect your face as you read,
High Fives to your nose may make you bleed.
And when you’re all High Fived out,
Don’t snarl, or weep, or even pout,
Dragons Love Tacos is up next,
It’s one of Adam Rubin’s best.
Who knew tacos were a dragon’s fave,
Who knew salsa and cheese made dragons rave?
Who knew they loved parties and to dance?
Just add some tacos and watch them prance.
But jalapenos, as Rubin says,
Will cause those dragons to make a mess,
Hot salsa ignites a dragon’s fire
That makes your house a smoking pyre.
No, never, ever give dragons spice,
The resultant flames will not be nice,
Give them lettuce, meat, and even ice,
But never, ever give them spice.
Rubin gave us other treats,
So youngsters, gather and take your seats;
We’ll read and read, and have some fun
And bid farewell to the setting sun.
Okay, I’m not a poet, but it’s a gray day where I live, and I needed some entertainment.
I got a kick out of Adam Rubin’s High Five and Dragons Love Tacos, and plan to share these books with my younger grandchildren. Rubin is a children’s author who describes himself in High Five this way:
Adam Rubin likes to write
in his kitchen late a night.
Rhyming nearly broke his brain.
Currently he lives in Spain.
Four of the Rubin books I have at hand — Those Darn Squirrels! High Five, Dragons Love Tacos, and Secret Pizza Party were illustrated by Daniel Salieri. Crash McCreery illustrated El Chupacabras.
•••
In memoriam: Only recently did I learn that Tomie dePaola, author of some 260 children’s books, had died this past spring. His books about Strega Nona, Jamie O’Rourke, the clown of God, and many others were favorites with my children and remain the same with my grandchildren.
Thank you, Mr. dePaola, for many wonderful evenings of reading to my loved ones.
(Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, Amanda Bell and Dust On Their Wings, and two works of nonfiction, Learning As I Go and Movies Make the Man. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
