Brains! Braaaaiiiins!

A reader writes:

Is there a market for children's funny poetry?
Or is Shel Silverstein dead?

Shel Silverstein is dead. For like 8 years now. Alternatively, Shel Silverstein will live forever.

Children's poetry is living a quiet, semi-reclusive life, which one hopes is part of a very long adolescence rather than early retirement.

(As I recently posted on the blue boards:)
Poetry is a hard sell to publishers-- because it's a hard sell to consumers. People just don't buy a lot of poetry, and trust me, it kills editors as much as it does you. We, too, love poetry and see its value and accessibility to children. I've had to decline more than a few collections that I really liked, because I didn't think we'd be able to sell enough copies to justify the investment. It hurts to send those back!

Funny poetry gets out more than its siblings. Kids always enjoy humor. (You've been reading Douglas Florian, haven't you?) We need more Funny poetry.

If, on the other hand, you're talking about You-Think-You're-Funny-But-I'm-Not-Laughing poetry, or Absurdist-Is-The-Same-Thing-As-Funny-Right? poetry, those have been crawling out of their graves and moaning for brains for years now. Where is my shotgun?