Bright New Work of Witty and Whimsical Verse, Roby School, Published by Outskirts Press

April 12, 2011 - PRLog -- Denver, CO, and Laconia, NH – Poet Linda Chartier announced today the release of her new collection of verse, Roby School, Silly School Poems, published by Outskirts Press.  Chartier’s collection of verse is “silly” in the best sense of the origins of that word – good, innocent and funny – as she presents her delightfully childlike, yet wisely insightful views of daily life at Roby School.

The initial poem of the book, “First Day of School,” sets the tone for the charming humor and perceptive commentary which follow throughout all her verse describing the quirks of life in these beginning halls of academe:
 
This year I am six years old. / My parents are delighted.
Today is my first day of school, / But they’re the ones excited.
They’re dancing around the kitchen, / And I would like to know:
Are they happy school is starting, / Or just glad to see me go?”
 
Readers then go on to meet the quirky teachers, participate in the bizarre events and blush at the embarrassing mishaps of the children of Roby School.  “My First A,” “Toilet Problems,” “Mean Mrs. Green” and “Ode to a Substitute” are just some of the poems that will prompt whimsical memories for any reader who has ever fired a spitball across a classroom.  

Chartier’s poems cleverly mirror the days when elementary schools and the often odd rules that went with them seemed only to have been designed to baffle the young and otherwise uncomplicated minds of those students obligated to sit silently in their wooden chairs most all day long.

With her considerable wit and whimsy, Chartier is also able to bring back the days when reading poetry was fun.

Accompanying Chartier’s tidy poems are the charming and simple line drawings of Karen Gosselin which provide a running narrative of their own for each of these “educational” moments captured so perfectly by the author.  Gosselin is now creating an on-line comic with her husband entitled Chaos Express on her website Chibikarenstudios.com.

Roby School is available on-line in paperback and hardback through Amazon and Barnes and Noble and at www.outskirtspress.com/bookstore  for a maximum trade discount in quantities of ten or more.

Format: 6 x 9 paperback cream           ISBN: 978-1-4327-7058-7                   SRP: $11.95
            6 x 9 hardback with jacket               978-1-4327-7059-4                             $26.95
Genre: Juvenile fiction/humor/limericks and verse

About the author:

Linda Chartier attended Roby School in Saugus, Massachusetts, and these verses are a whimsical sojourn back to that place where students and teachers laughed, played and learned.  Ms. Chartier lives in Laconia, New Hampshire, where she teaches karate and skiing and enjoys hiking, biking, kayaking and, of course, writing.

Karen Gosselin lives in the wilds of New Hampshire where vacationers trample the unwary and moose wrestle cars for fun. When she’s not trying t keep her daughter from pushing random buttons on her laptop, she’s illustrating games and stories for other small companies.

For more information or to contact the authors, visit www.outskirtspress.com/robyschool  .
Outskirts Press offers high-quality, full-service self-publishing and book marketing services for writers and professionals who are seeking a cost-effective, fast, and flexible way to publish and distribute their books worldwide while retaining 100% of their rights, 100% of their profits, and 100% of the creative control. www.outskirtspress.com  .