In an arch, sophisticated display of literary agility, Hirsch (Last Dance at the Hotel Kempinski) offers a silly array of poems for youthful (and not so youthful) philologists and word sleuths. From palindromes and spoonerisms ("Dr. Spooner Writes the Menu" serves up such treats as "a chilled grease sandwich" and "brightly leaded chalk pops") to alliteration, haiku, onomatopoeia and more, he commits flagrantly nimble wordplay, tongue firmly planted in cheek. Hirsch is in splendid form, whether penning a sonnet to his son ("Nay, thou art more precious than a Snickers Barre") that does double duty as an acrostic or yielding to the siren song of puns with a poem entitled "Eye Rhyme" ("Underneath a shady bough/ I'm startled by a sudden cough"), followed by one entitled "Ewe Rhyme" ("There once was a man whose name was Lou/ Whose favorite dish was lamb ragout/ He liked nothing better than a stew"—even author Annie Proulx makes an appearance). Although the running commentary comes off as a tad solipsistic ("We made up 'Ewe Rhyme' as a companion for 'Eye Rhyme.' We managed to come up with 21 different ways of spelling the same sound"), and the pages grow crowded with these fussy footnotes packed with definitions and etymological roots, the asides are often witty ("All work and no plagiarism is no fun at all") and discerning readers will discover plenty to appreciate. Debut children's illustrator Ha's frolicsome computer-generated graphics keep pace with the verbal acrobatics, and the energy he brings to the pages with his shapes and squiggles displays a certain Chris Raschka–esque flair. Could the title be a play on "effigy" (the titular poem suggests it may be)? Ages 10-up. (Apr.)
