(1) K-3 Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi. "Mint-chip ice cream (so fantastic!), / Key-lime taffy (so elastic!), / Bags of all-green jelly beans... / Every day I eat my greens!" Come for the funny poems; stay because there's so much to pore over that you can't put this collection down. Harris follows up I'm Just No Good at Rhyming4 (rev. 11/17, illustrated by Lane Smith) with another meta extravaganza. There are intrusions from, ostensibly, Harris's own children, including a "book-within-a-book." There's the threat of a meteor heading for the pages, which pays off just when you've forgotten about it. Poems appear in footnotes, in the glossary, and spread out among the folios (page 65: "When one becomes senior (traditionally)" / page 66: "A famous old route that's from song and TV"). The green and grayscale digital illustrations are often a critical part of the action, as in the poem where snakes are ignoring their duty to serve as the letter S, with hilarious results. (A few poems are more sincere than silly, providing a chance to catch your breath.) Don't miss the back matter, including but not limited to an index by subject (e.g., "Eek! There's a bug!" and "Paper, with some ink on it") and a "partial list" of "non-books by neither Chris Harris nor Andrea Tsurumi," which includes tricycles, Belgium, and Toy Story 2.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2023

(2) PS Illustrated by Dan Santat. In this cheery and engaging alphabet book, a classroom full of anthropomorphic letters at Times New Roman School explores the day's lesson: "For all of the letters--from A on through Z-- / Can look like each other in some way, to me." Rhyming text from poet Harris (I'm Just No Good at Rhyming, rev. 11/17) spotlights letter pairs, offering comparisons that are playful as well as thought-provoking (though not always sensitive: "A P is a B that just went on a diet"). Santat's vibrant cartoony digital illustrations support meaning-making; rounded corners and bold black outlines emit a vintage photographic-slide vibe. Silly moments of dialogue (in word balloons) and wonderfully adept facial expressions add extra humor to each snapshot. In one illustration, A smiles and says, "Yay! My grade is the same as my name!" while F adds, "Yay! Mine isn't!" A sentimental message of unity and connectedness ends the narrative, alongside a secret communication that readers can decode using the story as a key. Endpapers recall popular English-language handwriting practice exercises. Recommended for fans of wordplay and other pun-filled alphabet books such as Tom Lichtenheld's E-mergency!

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Lane Smith. Harris's impressive debut--containing over one hundred poems, riddles, visual jokes, and nonsense--offers surprising detours and a dazzling variety of forms and subjects, which will keep readers engaged and on their toes. Smith's stylishly silly mixed-media illustrations raise the irreverence to sublime levels. Occasional bickering between poet and illustrator adds another layer of absurdity. This collection rewards repeat visits.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2017