Tongue Teasers: Laugh-Along Songbook Origins

By: Dr. D.W. Knight
Publisher: BD Brands, LLC/Giggle Spoon
Publication Date: July 24, 2024
ISBN: 978-1-953411-43-3
Reviewed by: Rebecca Jane Johnson
Review Date: October 18, 2024

Dr. D.W. Knight’s Tongue Teasers: Laugh-Along Songbook Origins charms and delights with hilarious rhymes for young readers and the young-at-heart. These light-hearted poems are accompanied by adorable black and white caricature drawings that are just as humorous and expressive as the poems themselves. This book, a winner of the Golden Wizard Book Prize, is published by Giggle Spoon, the creators of numerous rhyming books that are set to original music you can download for free with the book’s QR code. No matter what music or reading level, readers will feel compelled to sing these rhymes aloud, so they are perfect for teaching about meter and musical phrasing.

Some poems offer hilarious morals, for instance, warning us about what will happen if we lie down with giant speakers blaring music at the head and foot of the bed. Or, what happens if we try to live without ever sleeping? Or, what will Mom say if we rough house and bully too much so that all our teeth fall out, but one?

Other poems tell stories about pirates, strange beasts, and friendly roses, proving the poet can pull of these madcap expressions with remarkable wit and brevity. Of course, there are humorous poems about mucus and poo, topics that make young children roar with laughter. We meet lovable characters, such as Zoog the Wizzard, Latitude Jack, and Bubba Bogans, who stimulate the imagination. Young readers may even identify with Melissa Moraine of Halsberry Lane who has “the messiest room known to man.” Hyperbole makes these poems as memorable and surprising as they are endearing. One poem teaches how to juggle while another helps us cope with a “double moon dilemma.” The poem “Wee Beasties” reminds us of the importance of washing our hands. Readers familiar with Shel Silverstein, Mother Goose, and Raffi have these fresh rhymes to add to the classics.

Quill says: Tongue Teasers: Laugh-Along Songbook Origins incites deep belly laughter, and the satisfying rhymes lend themselves to repeat reading and reciting aloud.

For more information about Tongue Teasers: Laugh-Along Songbook Origins, please visit the publisher’s website at: gigglespoon.com.