A Funeral in the Bathroom

Gr 3—5—As in The Goof Who Invented Homework (Dial, 1996) and other collections, Dakos once again documents the ups and downs of school life. Here her focus is on the bathroom, home to a surprising variety of activities ranging from poignant to lighthearted. Kids come to read, talk, and hold a funeral for the class pet, a goldfish. The bathroom is where those who need to be alone can go: "When life is a poem/that's lost its rhyme,/kids head to the bathroom/all the time." A savvy teacher posts poetry all over the walls, inspiring readers to attempt poems of their own. Children will giggle even as they relate to the bathroom dance: "the wiggle jiggle do-si-doh,/bounce up and down when we have to go,/cross our legs, hold our pants—we all know the Bathroom Dance!" The poems are accompanied by humorous color cartoons. This accessible collection of light verse will be a welcome addition.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA