I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry: The Book Arrived!

This past week brought the end product of an anthology that was dreamed up years ago by Bandersnatch Books. I entered in on the project two years ago when they put out a call for submissions of new children’s poems. It was eight or nine months before I found out that a poem I submitted had been accepted. Several months later, a Kickstarter was launched to fund the project. It was successfully backed in March of 2025. Then a long illustration and production process followed. But this week, for those who backed the Kickstarter, the physical book finally arrived! I’ve Got a Bad Case of Poetry is a fully illustrated, hard back anthology of all new children’s poetry. It is just beautiful!

It arrived on a day when I was busily getting ready to have a few friends over for a Christmas dinner party. The unopened package sat for a while under my Christmas tree as I cooked the meal and made sure the house was tidy, but as things quieted down right before guests arrived, I couldn’t wait any longer to open it. The friends at my party were kind enough to ask for a reading of my poem at the party. Later, a friend who had also ordered a copy sent me a video of her reading it to her child.

It has the new book smell and crisp pages. My poem is just a few pages in, under the Flora & Fauna category. Other categories include Dreams & Whimsy, Unexplorable Depths, Cautionary Tales, Vittles, and Humans.

I have not yet finished reading all the poems, but I’ve enjoyed the ones I have read. There are several standouts that I really like and know that my students would enjoy too if I still had a classroom. I absolutely love the colorful illustrations throughout the book!

If you would like a copy for yourself, the book will officially be released in early January! You can preorder now through the Bandersnatch Books website.