Aisles of Smiles Review

Poem Depot: Aisles of Smiles

written and illustrated by Douglas Florian

Bibliography

Florian, D. (2014). Poem depot: Aisles of smiles (D. Florian, Illus.). Dial books for Young Readers.

ISBN 9781101620502

Summary

Douglas Florian's Aisles of Smiles is 170 poems of funny, rollicking good times. They are arranged into 11 "aisles" (like a supermarket where all they sell is silliness that makes the reader laugh). The "aisles" include: "Giggles & Glee & Tons of Teehee," "Rib-Ticklers & Sidesplitters," and "Tons of Puns." The aisle names don't seem to mean much, organizationally. For example, there are several twists on familiar nursery rhymes in the "Funny Bones & Belly Laughs" aisle. They all do make me laugh, particularly, The Old Woman in the Shoe who "didn't know what to do./ So she hired nine nannies/ with one wondrous maid,/ And now she relaxes/ Outside in the shade." I don't think that's how I'd categorize this section, but this is nit-picking. Who needs structure when these poems are so much fun to read?

Analysis

All the poems made me smile or laugh. Most of them I read and thought, "The kids will laugh at this." I starred too many to talk about in this analysis. Florian opens strong with Rooster, "The rooster crowed this morning,/ Its comb a brilliant red./ The rooster crowed this morning, /And then went back to bed" (12). The rhyme and repetition are strong, capturing the reader's attention. The last line hooks the reader further for its unexpectedness (and will make the students laugh). Like the rooster crowing to announce the start of the day, the poem announces, "we're going to have fun with these poems!"

In Big Den, Florian uses familiar word-play to lure the reader to a funny conclusion. "Our living room's for living./ Our dining room's to dine./ But in our den,/ Now and again,/ We keep a lovely lion" (80). I can imagine the students doing a double-take when they catch on to the double-meaning of "den." This poem also showcases Florian's illustrations. Simple and bold ink drawings capture the big laughs of his poetry. Florian doesn't only rely on strong rhyme and rhythm. He uses imagery and figurative language to good effect. In another poem that will surely elicit laughs, Tree Wear, Florian personifies the seasons: they are people wearing clothes. "The summer trees are dressed in green,/ In autumn, gold and tangerine./ The winter trees are naked, nude—/ No clothes at all, how very rude!" (96).

Highlighted Poem

Windshield Wipers doesn't pack a lot of laughs, but it is a great example of clever word choice, rhyme, and concrete imagery (267).

Florian forces the reader's eyes to move in the windshield wiper motion, reinforcing the its premise. The parallelism enhances the rhythm, evoking the sound the wipers make as they sweep the windshield. The rhyme makes the poem dance. The imagery is strong. The reader can see the wipers chase snowflakes. This is a strong entry in Florian's Aisles of Smiles, showing he is not just chasing laughs and making easy rhymes.

Use

Students will write their own version of Windshield Wipers. We will brainstorm other things (nouns) that hit a windshield, for examples: bugs, hail, fog. Then students will come up with the words (verbs) that correspond to those nouns. Additionally, we can brainstorm other common appliances and come up with a concrete poem that describes them.