Smelly Locker: Silly Dilly School Songs (by Alan Katz)

Classic kids' songs are turned into hymns to the misery of school.

In the grand tradition of "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells," these songs will have kids in stitches while most grown-ups roll their eyes. In fact, adult eye-rolling may add to the kid-appreciation and so to the repeated singing of songs like "Passing Notes" set to the tune of the "ABCs." Of course kids love to be negative about homework, tests, and cafeteria food, but parents may get tired of hearing about it and might wish these songs weren't quite so gleefully anti-school. Definitely flip through it first and see whether or not it resonates with your family's sense of humor.

As poems go, well, they're not bad. Namely they rhyme and easily replace the lyrics to familiar songs like "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and "Hey Diddle Diddle." But parents looking for more than superficial laughs will be disappointed. The pictures are suitably matched to the content; lots of screechy looking kids with misshapen heads and pursed faces. They're definitely funny but a little grotesque, too, like the poems themselves.

Author: Alan Katz
Illustrator: David Catrow
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: July 1, 2008
Number of pages: 32
Hardcover price: $16.99