Robert Schechter
Advance praise for
The Red Ear Blows Its Nose
poems for children and others by Robert Schechter
The Red Ear Blows Its Nose is a masterful collection from a masterful poet. Not only does every poem take you somewhere new, spinning ideas and jokes and thoughts and dreams and facts and observations on the tip of its finger like a Harlem Globetrotter at a showing off convention, but it does so with such surefootedness, such deft rhythm and rhyme, that the poems are joys to read aloud. They sing themselves out of your mouth and will stick in the minds of kids and grown ups everywhere they get heard. Schechter, it seems to me, is way up there with the great American kids poets, a real Shel Silverstein for today’s generation.
—A.F. Harrold, poet, writer & performer
What a splendid collection of poetry. Here are poems that fizz with imagination, wisdom and an infectious exuberance at the sheer wonder of words. Beautifully crafted and terrifically funny, this is a book for children (and grown-ups) to return to again and again.
—Kate Wakeling, 2019 CLiPPA Winner
The Red Ear Blows Its Nose entertaining—sometimes hilarious, sometimes beautiful, always thought-provoking—and nothing short of brilliant.
—Diana Murray, author of CITY SHAPES, SUMMER COLOR!, and the UNICORN DAY series.
Short, punchy and clever poems, as if Shel Silverstein and Ogden Nash had a baby. Some are only two lines long. My favorite:
When livestock salesmen cannot sleep,
do they lie in bed discounting sheep?
Wow!
—Jane Yolen, author of the "How DO Dinosaurs" books and a gazillion poems of her own
Children who are reading (and thinking) beyond their age level will love it; you will, too. If you're a fan of John Ciardi and Richard Wilbur and X.J. Kennedy, or Jack Prelutsky and J. Patrick Lewis and Kenn Nesbitt, you'll want to add Robert Schechter to your list of favorite poets!
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—Janet Wong, Winner of the 2021 NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award
The Red Ear Blows Its Nose is a dazzling tour de force of ingenious poems that sparkle with Schechter's witty, wonderful wordplay. Read this book. Your brain will thank you. Mine did.
—Kenn Nesbitt, former Children's Poet Laureate (2013-15)
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Robert Schechter's poems sing with irrepressible joy. His humour, wit, and verbal dexterity make The Red Ear Blows Its Nose a book that both children and adults will want to read over and over and over again. He is clearly one of the most accomplished poets writing for children today.
—Valerie Bloom MBE, 2022 CLiPPA Winner
