My Head Has A Bellyache And More Nonsense written by Chris Harris and illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi is full of poems and pictures that are fun, funny and funnier as the pages turn. In fact, the long title states that this book is “For Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups.”
It starts with the poem A Big, Comfy Chair and A Brand-New Book.
The problem our young reader must face is the fact that a meteor is headed straight for his book! He complains that there are many older books that could be targeted such as Goodnight Moon or Corduroy as he runs off the page with his book on his head.
The verbal acrobatics, high jinks and turns of phrases give the entire book a never- ending feeling of merrymaking. One of the most delightful poems is called I Love My Siblings So Much! in which the writer says one thing about his love for his siblings and quite another when you read the completion of each line that is noted at the bottom of the page.
There are delightful poems one after the other like My Favorite Word.
“Late in the night…
When the silence is deep…
And the crickets don’t chirp…
And the critters don’t creep…
And the whole universe might have fallen asleep…
I take a deep breath…and shout “SAUSAGES!”
There is fun everywhere. The clever illustrations are full of hilarious pictures done in black and green throughout and are totally appealing.
MY HEAD HAS A BELLYACHE written by Chris Harris and illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi is just right for children ages 6 and up (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) 2023.
The Children’s Bookshelf is a production of WCMU. Links to the podcast and the activity questions can be found at Children’s Bookshelf dot org.
Activity Questions for My Head Has A Bellyache
Questions from the story: What is the cure for everything? Where does the little girl who is taken to every fabulous country in the world really want to go? What was the first thing that happened to the gift that a father gave to his daughter, Jane Lew? What is the word that the child always says in the poem entitled My Favorite Word? In The Spelling Test where is the letter F? What happened to the ant in the fable entitled The Ant and the Grasshopper? What is the name of the poem that Chris Harris says he wrote with William Shakespeare?
This book of poems is full of physical movements to try out in a safe place inside or outside. Ask your parents to make sure you have room to move safely: Re read the poem about the dance of the misfits. Select one of the animals to be and start moving. You can begin by putting your body in the shape of one of the animals and then DANCE!
The favorite word in this book is Sausages! Do you have favorite words that are connected to food? Think about it and get your taste buds going. Then, make a list of your favorite foods. Next, write a short poem about your favorite food.
