Stopping by Jungle on a Snowy Evening by Richard T. Morris

Today's read hit the market right before Thanksgiving and swirls around the famous Robert Frost poem, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening. So, I'm betting it's great for anyone wanting to slowly introduce young readers to poetry. I found the snow and jungle mix with the boy riding a rhino curious and grabbing...yep, I had to know what in the world this one is about.

So, let's open it up and take a peek.

STOPPING BY JUNGLE ON A SNOWY EVENING

by Richard T. Morris

Illustrated by Julie Rowan-Zoch

Atheneum

Picture Book

ages 4 to 8

40 pages

In the spirit of Lane Smith and Jon Klassen, this delightfully irreverent picture book dives into the world of Robert Frost’s “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” where a boy with a unique vision gives some creative feedback to the famed poet.

When Robert Frost writes, “Whose woods these are I think I know,” he paints a picture of a serene winter night in the deep woods, surrounded by blankets and blankets of snow. But the tranquil scene is interrupted by a little boy! This wildly imaginative interloper generously offers to tweak the poem to make it more exciting. Instead of riding a horse, why not a hippo? And replace the snow falling from the sky with cookie dough! As Robert Frost sputters in dismay, the boy unleashes poetic mayhem, but when his edits get away from him, the self-possessed poet and chaotic kid have to put their heads together to make a clean getaway.

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MY TIDBITS

A famous poem gets a hilarious twist in the quirkiest way.

These pages take an original look at one of Robert Frost's most beloved poems and not in the way a reader might expect. Instead of a woods, a boy rides a hippo through the jungle...and it snows. If that wasn't enough to set the odd scene, Robert Frost himself is tossed into the mix as he recites his poem, little by little. The boy has his own take on Mr. Frost's phrases and tries to liven things up with more exciting ideas. The result is strange, very imaginative, and raises eyebrows along with a few smiles.

The illustrations are bright and bold, while do a nice job at mixing the ridiculous aspects and confronting the more serious atmosphere (even frustration) of Mr. Frost. These hold a basis line to keep things from growing utterly confusing as the text plays with the phrases, while letting the battle of ideas between the boy and Mr. Frost unfold. Silliness abounds as well as the fun fantasy in each scene, which invites readers to flip through and revisit each one their own. The text fits the age group nicely and makes a fun read-aloud with lots of room for expression to fit right along with the images.

This is a nice book to pick up when introducing young readers to the realm of poetry, and especially Robert Frost. I would recommend reciting the original poem to readers before reading this, since the humor swings around every line. Of course, young readers might yawn at the original, but that's exactly where this book comes into play and thrives on. 

For those wanting to dive into the realm of poetry or even Robert Frost, this book is a fun and unique read to grab up and enjoy.

And here they are...

Richard T. Morris is the author of Fear the Bunny, Stopping by Jungle on a Snowy Evening, This Is a Moose, and Bye-Bye, Baby!. He is a former E.B. White Award Honoree and Midwest Bookseller Choice Award winner. He lives in New Jersey with his family.

Julie Rowan-Zoch grew up collecting freckles and chasing hermit crabs in New York and spent years slicing rich breads in Germany before waking up to 300 days of blue Colorado skies. She is the author of I’m a Hare, So There! and the illustrator of Not All Sheep Are Boring by Bobby Moynihan, Louis by Tom Lichtenheld, and Debug This Book by Omar Abed. Follow Julie on X (previously known as Twitter) @JulieRowanZoch and on Instagram @JRZoch.