Books For Keeps
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Articles
  • Past Issues
  • Latest Issue
  • Authors and Artists
  • Latest News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
September 1, 2014/in Poetry 8-10 Junior/Middle /by Angie Hill
BfK Rating:
BfK 208 September 2014
Reviewer: Sue McGonigle
ISBN: 978-1472904560
Price: £4.99
Publisher: A&C Black Childrens & Educational
Genre: Poetry
Age Range: 8-10 Junior/Middle
Length: 96pp
Buy the Book

My Rhino Plays the Xylophone

Author: Graham DentonIllustrator: Sean Longcroft

Have you every wondered why computers are operated with a ‘mouse’ or if a virtual learning environment could include a virtual gym? If so you will enjoy this collection of humorous verse from Graham Denton.

A range of themes is explored in this collection from food, school and animals to getting up in the morning and fear of the dark. There are poems about real life situations and others about fantasy worlds with wizards, witches, dragons and ghosts.

A playful delight and curiosity about language shines through the poems in this collection. They are full of word play, from the glass blower with a ‘pane’ in the chest to the ghost having a ‘wail of a time’ and the duck who asked the cashier to ‘put it on the bill’. Humour is also derived from exploiting the literal meaning of well known phrases such as ‘a tossed salad’, ‘a dressed  crab’ or ‘giving the game away’. The longer poems keep the reader guessing, enticing you to read on with punch lines at the end. The foot tapping rhythms and strong rhyming patterns make the verses fun to read aloud and very memorable. Children will enjoy sharing and returning to them as well. Sean Longcroft ‘s amusing black and white illustrations work very well, more of these would have been nice.

Some of these poems such as ‘My Cat is in Love with the Goldfish’ have appeared in other anthologies but many are newly published in this entertaining first collection from  Graham Denton.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png 0 0 Angie Hill http://booksforkeeps.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/bfklogo.png Angie Hill2014-09-01 01:00:582021-10-08 10:29:37My Rhino Plays the Xylophone

Search for a specific review

Author Search

Search







Generic filters




Filter by Member Types


Book Author

Download BfK Issue Bfk 272 May 2025
Skip to an Issue:

About Us

Launched in 1980, we’ve reviewed hundreds of new children’s books each year and published articles on every aspect of writing for children.

Read More

Follow Us

Latest News

Winners of the 2025 UKLA Book Awards

June 27, 2025

Effervescent, scintillating, riveting! Collection of ‘colossal’ word poems wins the CLiPPA

June 20, 2025

Winners of the 2025 Carnegie Medals announced

June 19, 2025

Contact Us

Books for Keeps,
30 Winton Avenue,
London,
N11 2AT

Telephone: 0780 789 3369

ISSN: 0143-909X (this is our International Standard Serial Number).

© Copyright 2025 - Books For Keeps | Proudly Built by Lemongrass Media - Web Design Buckinghamshire
Ghost Soldier Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor
Scroll to top