Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses

By J. Patrick Lewis

Book Overview

Clever puns and elaborately detailed, surreal artwork illuminate a collection of comically grim verses that can't help but tickle the funny bone. Reader, if I had more time I'd say au revoir in rhyme, Sayonara, ciao in verse -- But I have to catch a hearse. Peek inside Once Upon a Tomb and find twenty-two poems, each of which tells, in hilarious verse, the story of an untimely demise -- from a school principal to a bully, a food critic to a cafeteria lady, an underwear salesman to a soccer player. Complemented by Simon Bartram's deadpan illustrations, J. Patrick Lewis's cryptic tour of headstones and epitaphs is silly, spooky -- and far from grave.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763618373
• ISBN13: 9780763618377
• Release Date: July 2006
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.6" x 11.6"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

fun book

I got this book to read to my class room at halloween time. It is a lot of fun and a good way to get students interested in poetry.

Dark and deadly humor

Funny, funny, punny. This is a collection of 22 epitaphs for people of different walks of life - philoshopher, bully, beautician, etc. Love the mailman: "Returned to Sender" and Underwear salesman: "Our grief Was brief." The pictures are right on the money - humorous, but not over the top. The illustration of the team of morticians who are working on the beautician is priceless. She has a beauty mask on her face and cucumber slices on her eyes. Older students (and adults!) will better appreciate some of the subtler comments.

Clever

This is a book of short poems all of which revolve around the subject of death. The short poems are ... very clever (ironic might also be a good word), and I figure many kids might not get the references. The illustrations are great; I would recommend this book for children who are interested in more `dark' humor.

Hilarious.... but not for young children

I laughed all the way through this book, but young kids will probably not get some of the highbrow humor: "Postal worker.... return to sender."