Trumpty Dumpty Wanted A Crown surprised me. I had thought John Lithgow had created a children’s book with illustrations, and of course, I wanted to be transported to juvenile stories. Lithgow’s book leans toward an adult audience with delightful poems, sketches after each poem, and a brief explanation of the background for each poem. Yes, I enjoyed reading this short political satire concerning the Trump years in the White House. Many of the events had escaped my notice and enforced my chagrin of the last four years. Thank you, John Lithgow, for your perspective. ( )

Another winner in the satirical verse category for the accomplished John Lithgow. Very clever rhymes about Trump and his minions and their escapades, accompanied by charming line drawings, also by the multi-talented Lithgow. Some of my favorite rhymes are: "The Torys, or the Tiger King", which tells Trump's life story in the form of a ballad about a tiger cub; "A Requiem Scored For Kazoo"; "Scoundrels and Heroes: Limericks From the Seat of Government (limericks about the idiots and the heroes in power these days); and "Recipe For Disaster", which is the oddest recipe you'll ever read: "Try a viral new cuisine, COVID-19...It's quick and easy to prepare/microbial fare. /First preheat an anxious nation/with misinformation.../Sow confusion and mistrust/Make your crust," and so on. Brilliant! ( )

TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN

John Lithgow

With fifty short poems and limericks and delightful illustrations, John Lithgow exposes Donald J. Trump, his administration and members of Congress. Some are positive, some are negative, all hit the mark.

Here are two examples:

TRUMPTY DUMPTY WANTED A CROWN

Trumpty Dumpty wanted a crown
To make certain he never would have to step down.
He wanted a robe made of ermine and velvet.
The Constitution? He wanted to shelve it.

With impeachment a wash, his ambition had grown.
He wanted an orb, a scepter, a throne;
Six royal palaces, six royal carriages,
A church dispensation for six royal marriages;

Courtier installed on his own Supreme Court
And royal beheadings, if only for sport.
He craved the occasional royal procession.
And (gasp!) The eventual royal succession.

Trumpty Dumpty gets his way
Unless the public has something to say.
If we let him have all of his favorite things,
We’ll have to endure the divine right of kings.

Limericks No. 6

The virus-denier Rand Paul
Displayed senatorial gall
But then, to his shame,
He sadly became
The most toxic infector of all. ( )

It’s outright impossible to keep track of Trump & Co’s myriad crimes, cons, outrages and incompetencies. But Lithgow summarizes dozens of them in verse and illustration in this collection and in his prior volume, Dumpty -- and in the process, brings lightness and even comfort to the reader. ( )