When the Rhyme Doctors work with clients, we urge them 1) to polish meter to flow consistently and smoothly and 2) to use true (exact) rhymes. Recently, two picture books have hit the market that ignore the second part of this advice. They rhyme properly in some places but not in other spots. This was hardly done in error -- the authors did so on purpose, and to wonderful effect!

DOZENS OF DOUGHNUTS​, by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Brianne Farley (G.P, Putnam's Sons, 2020), has been mentioned in the House Calls blog before. Eileen Meyer's post focused on the clever use of refrains to add humor and build tension. (Find the post here: https://www.rhymedoctors.com/house_calls/rhyme-terms-refrain-part-2) An important part of Carrie Finison's refrain is the use of predictive text; readers anticipate a rhyming word after the page turn.
Most of the book's text is in true rhyme. The book's main character, LouAnn, is busy making doughnuts to fill her belly before winter hibernation. But, as she pulls each batch from the oven and sits down to eat, the refrain introduces a snag in her plans:

The doorbell interrupts, urging the reader to turn the page. Readers, expecting the rhyme 'LouAnn', are surprised and amused to find 'Woodrow' on the other side of the door. The non-rhyme keeps the reader guessing, adding to the humor and tension in the story.
Here is another example:

THE BOOK THAT ALMOST RHYMED, by Omar Abed, illustrated by Hatem Aly (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2024) is the obvious inspiration for this post's title. The two main characters in the story are a brother and sister. The brother has set out to write the PERFECT rhyming story:

Omar Abed uses the same page-turn technique as Carrie Finison. He leads readers to expect a rhyming word, sometimes by hinting at the word with a partial spelling. The sister jumps in after the page turn, and her suggestions (the non-rhyming words) change the story. Different colors in the font indicate the different character's dialogue. The non-rhymes add humor and unpredictability to the story.

Very cleverly, in the end, the brother discovers that nearly all of his sister's substituted words are rhyming pairs. The siblings then team up to complete the hero's journey in the story, with a wonderful twist after the final page turn.

I've never tried purposefully not to rhyme, but these books are so much fun that I'm tempted to give it a go! Maybe you'll be tempted, too.

​~ Patricia Toht

​If you’ve been a  subscriber to the Rhyme Doctors’ HOUSE CALLS newsletter for the past few years, you’ve seen my posts about using poetic devices in your projects. (See archives on our website in the House Calls Blog, Poetry Prescriptions files.) I adore poetic devices, those tools we use to create rhythm, strengthen meaning, and establish a mood in our writing. They can help us build a stronger connection to readers, too. 

Usually, the Rhyme Doctors' Mentor Text posts share picture book and poetry collection titles that you can study and learn from. But today, we're stepping away to share the craft books we keep on our own shelves that educate and inspire us. We hope you will find them helpful in your own writing journeys.

I'm back again sharing more insights about writing poetry for the children's magazine market. We're continuing our discussion with Heidi Bee Roemer, poet extraordinaire, and author of over 450 magazine poems plus ten children's books.

The first book I can remember reading by myself was SNOW, by Roy McKie and P.D. Eastman. The book is part of the Dr. Seuss' Beginner Books series, a series that soon grew to dominate the beginning reader market. 

Looking for a way to give your rhyming picture book a delicious twist? Something that will tantalize editors and appeal to a wide range of readers? Try combining unexpected topics!

Over the past three months, I’ve introduced you to a few basic terms related to rhythm and meter in writing in verse as well as three poetic meters. If you missed them, you can follow these links.
the iamb - a two-syllable metrical foot commonly used in English poetry.
the trochee - another two-syllable metrical foot.
the dactyl - our first three-syllable metrical foot, but one that is less commonly used.
This month let’s study anapestic meter, made famous by a widely-known holiday poem. At the end of this post I'll also introduce you to the spondee, a lesser known poetic foot, too.