Sherri Rosen: I love the fun and playful nature of your book. What drew you to limericks and why did you dedicate your first book to them?

Robert Hoyman: The idea for creating Limerick Comics was born of necessity. In the early 90s, I brought from home a book that my own two sons found particularly entertaining. It was A Book of Nonsense by Edward Lear, the superb form of limericks that he popularized. As expected, my students were delighted by the humor and downright silliness. When the book was completed and we had run out of limericks, the kids pleaded for more.

Eager to advance their enthusiasm for learning, I headed for the school library, the public library, and the local bookstores. Surprisingly, I could find no books featuring limericks for children. At the time, in my experience, it appeared that the genre was underrepresented. As a result, I began writing my own. But my personal interest was to write about meaningful topics we encountered along the way in Science and Social Studies. The students enthusiastically created the illustrations.

In the succeeding years, I routinely shared my limericks with my students. In school districts from California to Florida, the reaction was consistent. The students were enchanted by the humor, captivating stories, and goofy illustrations. It became clear that upon retirement I would polish my old limericks, write new ones, provide a fascinating accompaniment of fun facts to inspire discourse between teachers or parents and kids, and find a brilliant illustrator to create evocative comics. The result was my debut book, Limerick Comics.

Sherri: How long does it take to write a single limerick? Do they come to you quickly or do they need to rummage through your head a bit before they come to life?

Robert: For me, it takes a good long while. Typically, I can get the first two lines and a fair idea for the direction of the story. The next three lines take more time to emerge. The final line is crucial because it serves the purpose of resolution and often story clarity. Occasionally I use it to offer an intriguing inference explained further in the nonfiction sixth panel. Some have used the fifth line of a limerick to restate the first, but I find it essential to help tell the story because five lines are restrictive enough. I really embrace the process of crafting a limerick poem with a strict adherence to anapest meter working within the constraints of word choice imposed by the number of syllables and placement of the accent. That’s the real challenge. So, I ponder individual limericks for days slowly taking shape wherever I might be. I try to swim each day at our community pool nearby. While relaxing at the pool, more than once the words and phrases that fit just right beckoned, unforced, and I had to jump on my bike and pedal home frantically to write them down before they faded away.

Sherri: The topics of the limericks in Limerick Comics are so varied. How did you choose the subject matter?

Robert: The topics were all gathered along the way throughout my teaching journey. I chose the subject matter that I found fascinating, but I also included many topics that I remember eliciting interest, intrigue, and curiosity in my students. Some limericks were built around introducing a particular concept like bioluminescence, gastroliths, or the unusual fact that octopuses possess three hearts. Others address the natural expression of curiosity found in children. They’re always wondering where things came from. These can range from the origin of colossal roller coasters to something quite ordinary like cement.

Sherri: Limerick Comics is structured unlike anything we’ve ever seen. How did the idea originate to blend the genres of poetry and nonfiction?

Robert: Since I chose to write the limericks about purposeful academic subject matter the need to provide fun facts and some essential supporting information for each topic seemed natural to me. Kids could choose to read the entire collection cover to cover or pick a limerick at random that inspired them to launch further research. My intent was to employ a clever literary device to elicit interest and excitement about learning Science, History, Social Studies, Geography, and Civics. I had witnessed how graphic novels and comics format books flew off the library shelves. So, adding Steve Feldman’s touch of brilliant comics-style illustrations was the icing on the cake.

Sherri: As a classroom teacher and now author, in what ways do you envision parents, home-school parents, classroom teachers, and librarians using the book?

Robert: Teachers may enjoy starting the academic day with a humorous poem and a spirited discussion before getting down to all the mandated objectives. Often they have continuous gaps to fill in the schedule when the lunch line is backed up or when the busses are late. Limerick Comics can provide a convenient mini-lesson with diverse topics to choose from and it is especially handy for the substitute winging it without a lesson plan. To assist teachers and the challenges they currently face with distance learning and Covid-19 I’m offering a FREE set of instructional lesson plans on my website, limerickcomics.com to augment the use of the book. The pdf is downloadable and printable, offering a plan for every page in the book aligned with Common Core Standards in grades 3-5. With the subject matter changing page to page, Limerick Comics excels at keeping reluctant readers’ attention so they can succeed in reading incentive programs like Pearson’s Accelerated Reader and Reading Counts. Who writes for those kids? On teacher conference nights I was often asked by well-intentioned working parents of struggling readers to suggest a book they could read together. However, being able to consistently read together each night was unlikely. So, I wrote Limerick Comics with a new topic on every page.

Sherri: When you write up a limerick, do you picture the images that will accompany the verse?

Robert: Not with any great detail. I concentrate on writing a complete story with only a vague sense of the imagery. After endless revisions, I found it exhilarating finally turning the manuscript over to Steve Feldman then anxiously waiting for him to breathe life into my goofy characters.

Sherri: Tell us about the process of working with your illustrator, Steve Feldman. Are you very specific about what you want for each limerick? How you want the images to appear? Colors, facial expressions, etc., or do you discuss the basics with Mr. Feldman and then let him go wild?

Robert: Collaborating with Steve Feldman was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me. Having recently retired after 40 years of teaching, the daily back and forth by email was a stimulating and invigorating learning experience. Our goal was to produce a book of outstanding quality with an elegant appearance worthy of the coffee table. Steve is not only a supremely gifted artist and illustrator, but he is also the consummate professional. I like to think that I was wise enough to turn over the revised manuscript to Steve and get out of the way. I deferred to his artistic vision. I felt that we could achieve a quality result if he felt unencumbered and just had fun with it. I believe he did find the process enjoyable and the range and diversity of the subject matter really allowed Steve to showcase his versatility as an artist. Jokingly, I told him to recall his days in Jr. high school when he was drawing comics in his notebook instead of paying attention in class.

Sherri: Authors are often asked if they have a favorite book among the books they’ve written. Do you have a favorite limerick?

Robert: Not really. They’re like my two sons, I love them equally while appreciating their unique qualities. Like anyone, I find the subject matter in some more interesting than others. However, I guess if I was forced to pick one, King Tut always brings a chuckle. “At nineteen no pharaoh was cooler.”

Sherri: While your career in teaching continued for over four decades, you also produced and directed numerous musical plays. Do you miss the creative process of theater and do you think you’d ever get involved in another play?

Robert: I miss the creative process of theatre immensely. It was among the most gratifying experiences in my teaching career. I loved challenging fourth and fifth graders to learn 40 pages of script, 6 songs, and witnessing each student use their unique, evolving skillset to create memorable characters. They learned fluency and problem-solving in an authentic and natural way. They returned home from school each day singing a happy tune. When the curtain finally closed on opening night, I can still see their eyes reflecting the look of pure relief, pride, elation, and confidence in the making. I have since encountered several of the former cast members. Not once have they recalled a top score on a state-mandated test, but all share fondly the joy and lifelong memories from our musicals. Being retired, no, I can’t envision involvement in another play. I’ll just continue to turn to writing.

Sherri: Is there a chance you have a stash of limericks that you couldn’t fit into this book and that might make an appearance in a sequel?

Robert: Yes, I have a number of them but many didn’t make the cut because they are comical and goofy. Although entertaining, they lack any educational value. I can envision someday putting them out there perhaps with a single amusing hyperbolic illustration to induce a few guffaws. However, there’d certainly be no need for a sixth panel.