NPM 2020 Day 5: After Dark

I know I already talked about this poetry anthology in one of my Simply 7 interviews, but I MUST mention it again.

Forgive me.  I absolutely adored the work in “After Dark” (both poetry and illustration) and had to talk about it a little bit more.  It never ceases to amaze me what decisions go into a collection like this on all sides of the publishing process.  Which poems does the author choose to write (and the editor choose to include)?  Which pictures does the illustrator choose to show?  There were some fascinating choices in this collection.

The poem I will share here today is one of my favorites (and I saved it for this).  It made me laugh out loud (and I think it will make you laugh too).  Not only is the writing of the poem funny (which is SO very David L. Harrison’s style–love it!), but the illustration is funny too.  It only adds to the humor of the lines.

Let me take a rabbit trail for a second and say how much I ADORED Stephanie Laberis’ work in this book.  It’s simply stunning.  I’m always envious when I see what skill some illustrators can bring to the digital medium.  They make it look effortless, but let me tell you it’s NOT.  These illustrations are GORGEOUS.  If you want to learn more about Stephanie’s illustration style, I hope you read the wonderful Illustrator Saturday blog post about her work.  She has got TALENT.

But I digress.  Here is my favorite poem (seen in two different pictures, though it’s a spread–so you can read the text more easily):

And if you’re looking for more poetry fun this month, be sure to check out the Kidlitosphere Event Roundup!