A Poetry Review of: THE LLAMA WHO HAD NO PAJAMA by Mary Ann Hoberman

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hoberman, Mary Ann. 1998. The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems. Ill. by Betty Fraser. San Diego, CA: Browndeer Press Harcourt Brace & Company. ISBN 0152001115

PLOT SUMMARY

This collection of poems written by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrated by Betty Fraser represents small snapshots of childhood: moments of idle silliness, thoughtfulness with no regard to costs, and simple childhood lessons. This collection also contains wonderful, educational poems about animals that children may not be as familiar with, such as ocelots. The light-hearted silliness of the collection will please multiple children at story hour, bed time or whenever there is time to read.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Hoberman’s collection features 100 individual poems paired with delightful, cartoonish illustrations painted in pastel colors. Most of the poems follow a simple rhyming pattern where every other phrase may rhyme, creating a catchy rhythm and making poems easier for children to commit to memory. Hoberman makes brilliant use of alliteration and consonance in poems, using phrases such as “Better bitter beet”, “itty-bitty”, “A litter of little…”, and “flee the fly who flew by”, which makes for fun tongue twisters and turns of phrase for children to practice.

Some poems feature phrase repetition, which is always entertaining and makes poems more interactive as children can begin reciting the repetition along with the oral reader. In some poems, a repetition of structure, such as stanzas with mostly two word phrases concluding with eight word phrases. Particularly in the poem “Mouse”, where the first phrases of the stanza introduce characters and information, while the longer phrases ask questions and give answers. The longer phrases are made to stand out. Another poem “Time”, features a repetition of structure when the main phrase is repeated “One/Two/Three.” Hoberman also uses repetition of onomatopoeia, such as “pitter patter” and “flitter flutter”.

The poems often feature children wanting to grow taller and be older, and children dressing as adults and mimicking adult activities, such as mothering babies, or in the case of these poems, puppies. There are childhood lessons that seem so simple to an adult, but to a child it is a marvelous revelation, such as the poem “Tommycats” and how they can never become “mommycats.” Here, the child in the poem has learned that only females have babies.

The accompanying artwork for the poems is whimsical and mostly done in light colors. When children are pictured, they vary in ethnicity, creating characters that resemble many of the different children reading these poems. Children love to see characters that look like themselves.

Silly poems about growing up and having fun, and short poems that speculate animals and their appearances or their daily functions written in a light-hearted, almost child-like tone makes an enjoyable work for young children.

BOOK REVIEW(S)

Kindergarten-Grade 4. Hoberman's poems, accompanied by Fraser's illustrations, have been delighting children for 40 years. Now, many poems from their out-of-print books are available in this satisfying collection. The selections are mostly humorous, sometimes contemplative, and deal with animals, family, play, and plain silliness. Hoberman's rhythms are lively and agile, and her imagination and sense of humor are still in tune with young readers. Fraser's simple but detailed gouache and watercolor illustrations exhibit the same qualities. The layout is masterfully varied and never overwhelms the poems. There is a table of contents as well as an index of first lines. Good for beginning or experienced readers of poetry, this should indeed become a favorite. Nina Lindsay, Vista School, Albany, CA—SLJ.

"Hoberman's rhythms are lively and agile, and her imagination and sense of humor are still in tune with young readers. Fraser's simple but detailed gouache and watercolor illustrations exhibit the same qualities . . . Good for beginning or experienced readers of poetry, this should indeed become a favorite."--School Library Journal

"This collection of some forty years of Hoberman verse is a charmer."--The Horn Book

CONNECTIONS

If children are looking for more light-hearted books in rhyme that feature a colorful cast of youngsters of various nationalities in various social situations or rhyming books about animals and nature, they may enjoy the following titles:

Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2003. And to Think That We Thought We’d Never Be Friends. Ill. by Kevin Hawkes. New York: Dragonfly Books. ISBN 978-0440417767

Hoberman, Mary Ann. 2007. A House Is a House For Me. Ill. by Betty Fraser. London: Puffin Books. ISBN 978-0142407738

This anthology of poetry is for readers a bit older, but the poems featured are about nature and scientific ponderings of how things came to be.

Hoberman, Mary Ann and Linda Winston. 2009. The Tree That Time Built: A Celebration of Nature, Science and Imagination. Ill. by Barbara Fortin. Napervile, IL: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. ISBN 978-1402225178