I guess the cat's out of the bag. I was browsing on Amazon.com today and I discovered that my next funny poetry collection, The Tighty-Whitey Spider: And More Wacky Animal Poems I Totally Made Up is now available for pre-order, even though the book won't be available until April 1, 2010.

This next book is a collection of 55 funny animal poems and songs, and includes a CD of me reciting the poems and singing the songs, complete with music, sound effects, and crazy voices, as usual. And, just like My Hippo Has the Hiccups, The Tighty-Whitey Spider will be beautifully illustrated by Ethan Long, the creator of Tickle the Duck!

So if you just can't wait and want to have it delivered the moment it's available next spring, you can go ahead and place your order now.

I've said it for years... you don't have to be 40 years old to write a book. In fact, you don't even have to be an adult. One example I've been giving recently is 9-year-old Alec Greven's book How To Talk To Girls. But, as the name implies, his book is a "How To," a collection of advice, not a collection of poems.

This week I discovered the first book of funny poetry I've seen that was written and illustrated by a kid. 11-year-old Gloson Teh of Malaysia has published his first book, a collection of poems he wrote when was just 9 years old, entitled Creative and Funny Poetry for Kids. Although Gloson has been writing for most of his life, he was inspired to start writing funny poetry after discovering poetry4kids.com. The result is this book "created by a happy kid to make your kids happy."

In addition to writing and illustrating his poetry, Gloson is also well-known in Malaysia for his blog, www.glosonblog.com, where he writes about the things he learns.

I hope you'll take the time to visit Gloson's poetry website and his blog. While you are there, be sure to read the message from Gloson's mom, where she explains about the creation and production of the Gloson's book, answers questions about Gloson, and offers some thoughts and advice to parents everywhere. And, of course, you should buy a copy of Gloson's book to help with his education and to encourage him to create more books of funny poetry.

For Immediate Release Reviews - Kids (firrkids), a blog that reviews children's books, DVDs, toys, games, health products, and clothing, recently published a rave review of My Hippo Has the Hiccups. Here's a bit of what they had to say:

That fact that this book comes packaged with a CD means it comes pre-packaged with instant appeal. Never has a poetry book been so wildly popular at our house. We have listened to this well over a dozen times, and there is no sign of waning interest. Author Kenn Nesbitt makes his incredibly funny poems that much more enjoyable by personally reciting them in funny voices.

Read the rest of the review here. Thanks Firrkids!

School Library Journal blogger Elizabeth Bird today gave My Hippo Has the Hiccups the most positive review I could have hoped for. She obviously read the book cover to cover and gave it careful, consideration. Here is some of what she had to say:

"Have you ever considered the plight of the truly frog-obsessed? Or taken into consideration the ramifications of what it means when vegetables get angry? Have you thought about what you would do with a hole in the ground if you could really get one all the way to China? Or subjected yourself to image of a penguin wearing a Speedo? Time to start, folks. In 109 poems poet Kenn Nesbitt applies serious (well, maybe not TOO serious) interest to these as well as other silly questions. Puns and poems, jokes and junk, this is a book for the kid with an id. An accompanying CD contains Mr. Nesbitt himself reading thirty-nine of what he hath wrought."

I found out from my publisher this morning that My Hippo Has the Hiccups is being reviewed in the May issue of School Library Journal.

This is what they had to say:

Gr 2-5-This is a zany and at times challenging volume of more than 100 poems, 39 of which are read by the author on an accompanying CD. Nesbitt's consistent rhythms and unforced rhymes make these poems readable, but his subject choices are what will amuse children: from not-too-smart talking dogs, to angry vegetables in a stew, to goofy dreams about pink-headed zebras, everything is fair game for wild interpretations and wordplay. "Learning Languages" illustrates this well: "My mom and dad learned Latin/many years ago in school./My brother's taking Spanish,/which he thinks is pretty cool./My sister studies French/because she loves the way they speak./But I just like computers/so I'm learning Ancient Geek." Long's spare line illustrations add humorous touches. This will be a popular addition to most collections.

-- Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI

It's official! My newest book, My Hippo Has the Hiccups: And Other Poems I Totally Made Up will be available on April 1, 2009, and you can pre-order autographed copies now!

My Hippo Has the Hiccups is my biggest book ever! With 176 pages, and over 100 of the funniest poems I've written, I promise you are going to love this book. In addition, I've included an audio CD in the book so you can hear me read the poems.

I'm also absolutely tickled with the illustrations by Ethan Long. Ethan's wonderfully whimsical drawings perfectly bring to life the wacky poems in this sprawling new collection.

Click here to order your very own personally autographed copy of My Hippo Has the Hiccups: And Other Poems I Made Up or visit your local bookseller to order a copy today.