A fun and humorous book of poems that kids of all area will find relatable. The book includes shorter and longer poems with illustrations and different poetic sales. Great for in the classroom to illustrate different roles of poetry and that poetry doesn’t have to be serious or stuffy.

I didn’t know I needed a book full of poems about everything from Shakespeare farting to egg-filled burritos until I picked up Holes in My Underwear. This hilarious, quirky collection had me laughing out loud and actually thinking about life’s weird little moments—like, who knew papercuts could inspire a haiku?

Matt Eicheldinger’s poems are totally relatable, clever, and just the right mix of silly and thoughtful. Plus, the doodles make everything even more fun. Whether you’re a kid or a kid-at-heart, this book is like a poetic party for your brain.

Warning: you might just start quoting Shakespeare’s gas anytime now. Highly recommend holding your underpants tight and diving in!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the privilege of reading and reviewing this book. All opinions are completely my own and in my own words

A fun poetry book that reminds us poetry doe not have to be serious. Sure to make kids laugh

This was a fun little collection of poems, especially for kids. The range of subjects is quite wide, and you never really know what the next poem is going to be about once you flip the page. Some poems are short, some are long, some are somewhere in between. There is quite some variation going on.

The style of the poems are variated as well. From haiku to simple rhymes.

Not all poems spoke to me, some felt too silly. However, this would be the perfect poetry book for younger children. Especially since most children would definitely appreciate the humor of these poems. I liked that the poems were about every day subjects, this would rationate with most kids!

This book has some illustrations with each poems, which I found a fun and delightful little touch!

It was not completely my type of poem collection, and I definitely was not the target audience. But it's perfect for a first introduction to the poetry genre for 4-5th graders! Nothing to analyse in depth, but the humor would probably be able to keep their attention and make them giggle.

I laughed out loud!
Cute how he decided to connect with his students in this way.
A funny thing to learn and discover poetry

In the very beginning of this book, we learned that this teacher has been writing these slowly with their kids as they try to find new poetry that speaks to them. In a way it reminds me of Shel Silverstein, but it only reminds me. These are nice. I see why the kids like them. I do think they are fun. The illustrations are very “doodley”. It works. Do I think it has the lasting ability of Shel Silverstein or Robert Lewis Stevenson, no but I do think it’s one kids will enjoy.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the read now ARC.

This book had something for everyone. My son & I had fun reading all of the poems
As there was so much different styled poems, there was obviously some that landed better than others.
I would say my son was much more interested in the rhyming poems ( and of course the poems that mentioned toilet habits landed particularly well)
A fair few that he didn't fully understand but that's probably down to his age - we still had a good laugh.

A few words from Oscar (4) "The book was quite funny. I liked all the fart stuff"

(Absolutely no surprises there hahaha )

A fun poetry collection bursting with over 100 poems and doodles for primary school humour. From blobfish and burritos to Shakespeare passing gas, it’s silly, smart, and surprisingly relatable.

Not every poem hits the mark, but the overall energy is playful and engaging, it would be perfect for classrooms, reluctant readers, or anyone who appreciates a good giggle wrapped in rhyme.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC of Holes in My Underwear. This book of poems has so much heart and there's a lot to enjoy here. This would be a great introduction to poetry for 4-8th graders.

Growing up woth Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, I could not wait to read this one myself. Yeah, my nephews enjoyed it, too. Filled with funny prose, equally funny drawings, and silly topics, this one is right up there with the great children's poem anthologies.

As a junior high teacher, I loved that the author was inspired to write poems that spoke to his students and involved them in the revision process. I found the poems to be mostly fun and lighthearted with plenty of 5th-6th grade humor. I think younger middle-grades readers will eat this collection up and have plenty of laughs while they do it. I think there are a few good choices to kick-off a poetry unit use as imitation pieces with students. This is not the collection for in-depth analysis of poetic techniques, but it is a good introduction to the genre for younger readers.

4★
"I am a doodler. The diagnosis is clear.
Crack open my heart; you’ll find a doodle in there.
Whether pencil or pen, my doodles flow out
like cool water running in a fire hydrant spout.

When I start to doodle, I doodle a lot.
The best places to doodle are places to not:
On the corners of desks, I impale my depictions
of dragon fights with ghosts of disastrous infliction.
On the soles of my shoes, I draft a landscape
of blueberry tacos in pink permanent ink."

On and on it goes, from the spines of books to bathroom stalls to lockers, to posters on the wall until caught and stopped. No, not stopped – well not entirely.

"Some days they lock up all my utensils and tools,
but that doesn’t stop me from doing my doodles.
I close my eyes tight and the white canvas flies in.
I doodle in my thoughts until I’m free once again."

There are drawings galore to illustrate the feelings. Although this short poem (and illustration) is called DAYDREAM, I think it applies to doodling in your thoughts as well. I'm not sure how well the text will display, so I will write out the words to the poems I've included.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration.]
"I’m dazing off to Daydream Land.
I’m leaving class behind.
Why use my focus for this class
when there’s a party in my mind?"

Some of these are simple rhymes about school, some are long, philosophical thoughts, and some are just silly imaginings that are bound to get a laugh from youngsters, especially in a classroom situation. Some scan like conventional poems, but many don't.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration.]
"Mommy taught me not to sneeze
and hold my farts by locking knees
and bite my tongue to stop my burps
and swallow coughs, which really hurts
So now I know without a doubt
how my belly button innie
became an out."

Then there's the obligatory – ewww yuck stuff that kids love! There are severalpoems in this free-form style.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration.]
"the graceful robin
pukes up lunch in her kid’s mouth
geez . . . nature is weird"

This last one is fairly long, written with short phrases so it is viewed as a poem, and it's a bit of a teaching opportunity without being too heavy-handed.

[My Goodreads review includes an illustration.]
"You have defeated me this time,
flu.
I might be sitting on the couch
half awake,
shaking from chills,
too weak to stand,
but I am plotting my revenge.
Oh yes.
I will be ready for you next winter!
I will wash my hands thirty times a day!
I will disinfect everything anyone touches!
I will eat all my vitamins, even the gross ones!
But before that
I am going to sip on this cold orange juice,
nibble on a graham cracker,
lie here,
and try not to throw up on myself
again
for the third time today.
But next year
you will not win!
I promise you that!"

There is quite an assortment, and I can see that some of them are designed to be across two pages, but I can't view them that way in the apps available for reviewing.

They aren't brilliant, but that's sort of the point. Some are clever - a plumber who can't cover his 'crack' – with illustration!, and another about a young boy who considers pranking his sick brother by texting ridiculous messages from the brother's phone to the brother's friends.

They touch on fear, anxiety, generosity – as I say, teaching moments. I think it's a great idea and a way to get non-readers to enjoy playing with words. When I used to volunteer tutor little kids who couldn't/wouldn't try to read, I found everyone loved riddles. To have a riddle on one page and the answer on the other side was a fun way to start.

Whatever works, I'm all for it. Good on you, Mr Eicheldinger. I bet your class is fun!

Thanks to #NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for a copy of #HolesInMyUnderwear for review.

What a wonderful collection of fun and nostalgic poems!

You have poems about pencils and school lockers and farts and everything in between. This is a sure thing for both young and old!

What a fun collection! I'll be putting this into the hands of my readers of chaos comedies like DOGMAN who are ready to make a foray into poetry. This is a solid addition to your poetry shelf.

There's not enough hilarious poetry for children! I got a huge kick out of this collection that uses anything and everything as a subject. Some of the poems are silly and some are clever and hilariously subversive. There's something here for every kid and for the adults in these kids' lives.
I also really loved that the author got his family involved in putting together this set of funny poems.

My students read poetry for our 10 Genre Challenge, but Shel Silverstein is the only poet they ever willingly check out and share with each other. Not anymore! Matt Eicheldinger is the heir apparent to Silverstein's poetic genius -- at last I will have a volume of poetry for my students to fight over! This one has it all for middle schoolers: farts, poop, boogers, zits -- my 6th grade boys will definitely share this one aloud with each other. If I can ever wrestle it away from them, I'll use several selections for our Poem of the Day.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the digital ARC. Can't wait to add this to my classroom library when it's released.

Note: I received a DRC from Edelweiss and NetGalley in exchange for a review.

“From the creative brains of New York Times bestselling author and middle school teacher Matt Eicheldinger comes an all-new collection of 100+ funny and thoughtful poems and illustrations!

For fans of Shel Silverstein’s Where the Sidewalk Ends, Bob Odenkirk's Zilot & Other Important Rhymes, and Chris Harris's My Head Has a Bellyache, comes New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Matt Eicheldinger's Holes in My Underwear—a side-splitting, thought-tickling collection packed with 112 poems and doodles that’ll leave readers giggling and thinking long after they've turned the last page.

The poems range in style, an ode to an egg-filled burrito, an elegy contemplating life’s purpose, a free verse about living with ADHD, a haiku about papercuts, a lyrical poem about basketball, a narrative verse about Shakespeare farting, and tons more! Also included is an author's note about the power of poetry.

Whether you’re pondering life’s big questions or wondering about the origin of the pink blob fish, this book has something for everyone. Each poem was hand-selected by real kids. Who knows—you might even discover some more hidden meanings woven into the very fabric of the stitches.

So, what are you waiting for?

Hold your underpants tight and start reading!”

While kids will definitely enjoy this book, I thought it was just okay. There are some poems that were really good, some that were not for me, and most of them were just okay. I enjoyed the illustrations in this book, and I do appreciate how the author, Matthew Eicheldinger, wrote this book for his students. But overall, while I did enjoy this book, I mostly thought that it was okay, but kids will definitely get a kick out of it.
⭐⭐⭐

This book is filled with funny poems which children and parents can read together and laugh at together

This was quite a funny read. In my opinion, it is perfect for children who want to have some fun and initiate themselves into the world of rhyme and poetry.

I was given an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a review. This was a really cute and funny poem collection. Definitely better suited for upper elementary or middle school.

My 4 year old says “It was great! I thought it was so silly. 5 stars!” So there’s a little bit of something for all ages to enjoy!