Kiesel is both scathing and compassionate in his examination of the kindergarten experience. Focusing most of his attention on student profiles, this veteran teacher (14 years at the time the book was published in 1968) also impales parents and fellow educators on his extremely sharp observations. When he notes of Gregory that, "A monstrous little future is pasted on your forehead," the supporting details and images more than confirm the prediction, and you wince. This is visceral poetry about a time in life that is usually framed as fun and games, where nothing really important has happened yet. As Kiesel presents kindergarten, you may soon see that it is already too late for many kids. The question is, has anything changed in the years since? Sadly, these poems seem as timely as ever, yet their clarity and strength offer some hope that there are others like Kiesel in the classroom today. As he says in the final poem, "Thoughts at Dismissal": To teach -- what does it mean?/It means to rise entire; to be/A birthmark; to be surrounded/By shoelaces and vegetarian/Lovemaking; to produce, from a/Milk-mustachioed Beethoven,/An unmistakable thumbprint on music. These poems will leave their own imprints on any readers who find themselves transported back to that first big step in social assimilation, kindergarten, and you will start wondering about what ever happened to those other kids, the ones who just weren't there one day.

What a wonderful book! I read it as a child, and still pull out my old dog-eared copy every few years to give myself a pick-me-up. The author's outrageous creativity and humor only add to the poignancy of the subject matter.

I bought this book when I was in elementary school. I read it and was so taken aback that I read it over. It was so creative that, for the first time, I was swept into a story. I would lose all track of time. Like the bookworms I started to take the book to the dinner table with me. I've read a dozen times since then and always come back to it when I think about the greatest book I've ever read.

I remember reading this book as a kid and loving it. It had the most obscure and creative plot I have ever read and it made the story just wonderful! I highly recomend this book to children of all ages.

This is a sequel to "The war between the pitiful teachers and the splendid kids." Even darker than the first and a little more complicated morally. The writing is just as good but it's a little more painful. If you get a paperback, be prepared for horrible cover art by someone who didn't have the slightest idea what kind of book it was. This book could not be published today; it's just a hair to subversive for current tastes. This hurts me. I wish someone would republish the two books together as a set. I'm only giving it 3 stars because it could not complete with the first in terms of sheer joy, but that isn't really what it's about either. Get it and read it.

This book is a sequel to The War Between the Pitiful Teachers and the Splendid Kids, which was a great book! Skinny Malinky Leads the War for Kidness picks up where the previous book left off. Kids who had not yet been put through the Status Quo Solidifier are running things and those who had are serving them. The book leads us to a more satisfying conclusion. It's definitely in the same vein as the first book, and kinda funny, but not a must-read as I would say The War Between the Pitiful Teachers and the Splendid Kids is.

I had this book nearly, oh, six years ago,a nd somehow it got lost! Well he neat things about this book is that is pretty surreal, and you feel you're in the war with Skinny. You meet all kinds of weird people, like Alice ( a wild (savage) girl) who helps Skinny.
Mr. Foreclosure, the antagonist is- would you believe it- an ANT.
Dealing with the Liquidation machine is cool, too. This book is a must read.