Smelly Locker by Alan Katz

Alan Katz' lyrics remind me of the silly songs that we used to sing at Summer Camp. The principal difference being that the songs in Smelly Locker are definitely edgier than those of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt (wiki link).

Here's a stanza to be sung to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

I don't want to do homework!
Please, I'm fed up with math!
Don't give assignment's I'll surely botch.
Let me relax, I've got TV to watch!
And on't make me study my English
I've learnt it real extra good!
So please say, "No homework tonight!"
'cause you know you should.

Avant-guard, edgy or not, I have to say that one of the reasons I like this book is because my children --currently 6 and 8 y.o.-- like to read it. I don't know whether it's because of the musical aspect but they are willing (even my little guy!) to plow through the text and figure out words they don't know.

As a consequence, I would recommend this book to school teachers as well as camp instructors, even though at least one teacher-reviewer at Amazon.com made an objection to some of the topics. (Myself, I tend to be VERY tolerant of any book that my children avidly want to read.)

Quick Summary :::
Like other Alan Katz' books, this one has unique songs that combine traditional tunes with goofy lyrics. The artwork is bright, full page, and attractively silly. The songs themselves are not meant for very young children who won't be able to appreciate the snide attitude nor the reasons for the whining complaints. If your children know the lyrics "On Top of Ole Smokey, all covered with cheese..." they would probably enjoy this book.

Considerations :::
Smelly Lockers has an Accelerated Reading (AR) designation of 3 which means that the exact level designation has not been determined. It can be read aloud to any age.