The Leaning Tower of Pizzazz

By Barry Dordick and Keiko Tokushima

The Leaning Tower of Pizzazz is a dazzling collection of humorous poems written for both kids and adults alike.
This whimsical selection of light verse, including an interview with the author and plenty of fun illustrations, is filled with sparkling wit, colorful wordplay, and a host of wonderful characters including the irresistibly charming Otto the bulldog, house-cleaning expert Marcello the aardvark, sword-swallowing champion Down-the-Hatch Demetrius, and celebrated food consultant Bino Bino, the Japanese cat.

If you love poems that inspire and delight, surprise and excite, then you will enjoy reading The Orchestras in Love,
If I Were a Kangaroo, Lemon Moose, and My Clothes Took A Vacation Without Me.


Just listen to what all the critics have been raving about:

The Leaning Tower of Pizzazz is simply magical! --- Edgar Allan Longfellow


Absolutely wild, wacky, and wonderful! ---Aunt Dee Dee


Sensational and educational too! We read it on the bus, on the train, everywhere we go --- Bruno, Bix, and Basie


Hilarious and outrageous! This book has inspired me to write my own poems!"--- Aldo Mozzarella III

I cant remember ever laughing so much! --- Ozzie Rosegarden, PhD

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Dec 6, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462067992

Barry Dordick

Bio of Author and Illustrator Ever since he was a youngster, Barry Dordick dreamed of playing third base for the New York Yankees and point guard for the New York Knicks, but since those dreams never became reality, he became an English Teacher and a humorous poet instead. The Leaning Tower of Pizzazz is his third book of poems. He is also the author of the acclaimed Macaroni on the Moon and Dear Cow, Not Now, I’m Busy! His next book of poems will be titled Jumping for Jazz. Please visit him at pizzazzpoems.com Keiko Tokushima was born and raised in Japan. She came to New York to pursue a career in Illustration. She lives and works in New York City. Please visit her at http://keikotokushima.com

Book preview

The Leaning

   Tower of Pizzazz

(and other humorous poems)

Barry Dordick

Illustrated by Keiko Tokushima

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

The Leaning Tower of Pizzazz

Copyright © 2011 by Barry Dordick.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

iUniverse

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.iuniverse.com

1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6798-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-6799-2 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011960847

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 11/22/2011

Contents

The Leaning Tower of Pizzazz

The Greatest Team

Aardvark!

Otto the Bulldog

Macaroons

The Orchestra’s in Love

Counting to Infinity

Up, Up, Up

My Clothes Took a Vacation Without Me

History Class

Anyone See the Banana… Split?

Down-the-Hatch Demetrius

If You Gotta Ask an Otter

Aunt Dee-Dee

Marimba

Lemon Moose

I Was Cheated

Bubblegum is Troublegum

Dogs Are Delightful

Bino Bino, the Japanese Cat

Whenever The Peacock Sneezes

The Dragon from Dinkwater Dell

Clancy McGinn

The Onions Are Crying

Mustard

Out to Lunch

Outrageous

Pistachio Pete

Peculiar, Oklahoma

Listening to a Seashell

If I Were a Kangaroo

My Cello

Why Does Everyone Talk So Funny?

Hitting the Books, Hitting the Hay

The Sumo Wrestler

On the Phone with a Polar Bear

Ling Ling, the King’s Naughty Parrot

Where Oh Where is Delaware?

Mailing a Camel

These Muffins

Only