Prelutsky, Jack Books

My Dog May Be a Genius

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

My Dog May Be a Genius 5 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I preordered this book for my Grandson who is almost 2 - I actually bought it because I liked the title but not only did it have a great title, the book is absolutely FANTASTIC! His mother loves reading it to him, his grandmother loves reading it to him and little Noah stays interested while it is being read to him. I highly recommend this book, especially because of the rhyming style that offers a pleasant variation from regular story books.

Editorial Review:

Have you ever encountered an underwater marching band, a pig in a bathing suit, a pet orangutan, or a witch in a hardware store? Have you ever sat with a skunk in a courtroom, shopped for a dinosaur, or conversed with a Bupple, a Wosstrus, a Violinnet, or a Celloon? You will have, once you've read this exuberant collaboration from Jack Prelutsky and his "partner in crime"* James Stevenson.

The "reigning czars of silliness"* have once again teamed up to bring readers an irresistible collection of poems that will have tongues twisting, imaginations soaring, and sides aching with laughter. The result is genius, indeed.

^*Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( L ) -> Lobel, Arnold

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Random House Book of Poetry for Children was recognized upon its publication in 1983 as an invaluable collection--a modern classic--and it has not since been surpassed. Five hundred poems, selected by poet and anthologist Jack Prelutsky, are divided into broad subject areas such as nature, seasons, living things, children, and home. The poems of Emily Dickinson, Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Nikki Giovanni, and Gwendolyn Brooks populate the book's pages, while Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Ogden Nash, and Shel Silverstein ensure that the collection delights even the most reluctant readers of rhyme. Playground chants, anonymous rhymes, scary poems, silly verse, and even some sad strains are carefully indexed by title, author, first line, and subject. With illustrations of cheerful, round-faced children and animals on every page, Arnold Lobel (a Caldecott medalist and creator of the Frog and Toad series) unifies the diverse poems to form a satisfying whole; Lobel can draw anything and make it funny--or poignant, if he chooses. This collection, one of the most varied and complete around, will carry any budding poetry lover through childhood and beyond. (Ages 5 to 11.)

My Parents Think I'm Sleeping (I Can Read Book 3)

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Nice collection of poems 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

This collection of poems relate to bedtime and nighttime. While much shorter than Jack's better known collections ("New Kid on the Block", etc.), I believe the emotional range is broader in this book. This book includes wistful poems and cutesy-scary poems, that would feel out of place in Jack's funny poems compilations. Of course, there are many funny poems, but the real gems are the others.

High marks to Jack.

Editorial Review:

The childhood ritual of being put to bed has been a source of inspiration for children (and frustration for grownups) throughout the ages. Prolific children's poet Jack Prelutsky has taken this undeniable truism and run with it in My Parents Think I'm Sleeping, an eye-opening, poetic romp through the multitude of adventures that can take place after the lights have been turned out. From pleasant nighttime thoughts ("I have been in bed for hours, / but I'm sure I'm wide-awake, / for my head is filled with visions / of a forest by a lake.") to philosophical ponderings ("What happens to the colors / when night replaces day? / What turns the wrens to ravens, / the trees to shades of gray?"), children everywhere will relate to these soothing, sleepy poems. Illustrated by Yossi Abolafia with the foggy blues and grays of the gloaming, kids will love snuggling up with this book--in fact, it just might make tuck-in time a dream! (Ages 4 to 8)

Read-Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Some really good and very original rhymes 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

These are not classic, everyday rhymes. Many of my books have the same old stuff over and over again e.g. Jack and Jill. This book has stuff like "The Dreadful Doings of Jelly Belly" and all sorts of amazing stuff. I read this one on my own, and if dad has time he reads me some of the more complicated ones. I like it. Valerie.

Editorial Review:

Poems about picnics, pretending, and puppies make this book the book to introduce little ones to poetry about the world around them. Jack Prelutsky, one of today's most respected children's poets, has selected more than 200 short poems--old favorites, traditional rhymes, and humorous verses--that will delight young listeners. The poems cover a wide range of experiences in a young child's life, from everyday events to special days to the world of the imagination.

Marc Brown, author and illustrator of the popular Arthur series, uses colored-pencil illustrations and borders to unify the poems, helping to create a pleasing, lively collection to carry children from their preschool years into the early elementary grades. As Jim Trelease tells us in his introduction to the book, "Unlike the toys we buy our children, poems cannot break." (Ages 2 to 7)

The 20th Century Children's Poetry Treasury (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 12 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"I objurgate the centipede,/ A bug we do not really need," writes Ogden Nash. Carl Sandburg hums and strums, while pages later, William Jay Smith compares a toaster to a silver-scaled dragon. And of course A.A. Milne must add his two cents' worth, "tiddely pom, tiddely pom." What a labor of love! Children's poet and anthologist Jack Prelutsky has collected 211 of his favorite poems by 137 poets, representing the best of verse from each decade of the 20th century. "Until this century, most children's poetry was either syrupy sweet or overblown and didactic, and tended to talk down to its readers," Prelutsky writes in his introduction. "Contemporary children's poets have thrown all that condescension and moralizing out the window, and write with today's real child in mind."

What's in this anthology for today's child? Food fights, outer space, animals, noses, monsters, sports, and sibling rivalry. Each of award-winning illustrator Meilo So's spectacular watercolor-splashed spreads reflects a theme: one buggy watercolor romp is surrounded by Deborah Chandra's "Cricket," Walter R. Brooks's "Ants, Although Admirable, Are Awfully Aggravating," and Robert Frost's "Blue-Butterfly Day." Five nocturnal poems nestle into a moonlit cityscape. Four music-related poems, from Bruce Lansky's "My Violin" to X.J. Kennedy's "The Girl Who Makes the Cymbals Bang," burst from So's cacophonous paintings. This excellent collection, a companion to The 20th Century Children's Book Treasury, belongs on every poetry lover's bookshelf. Prelutsky, creator of The New Kid on the Block, The Dragons Are Singing Tonight, and more than 30 other poetry books, has perfect pitch. (Click to see a sample spread. Illustrations copyright 1999 by Meilo So. Permission of Alfred A. Knopf.) (All ages) --Karin Snelson

The New Kid on the Block

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This exuberant valise of verse bulges with more than 100 poems about things you've never thought about, such as Underwater Wibbles who dine exclusively on cheese, and things you probably have thought about, such as sneezing oysters and the dot-gobbling Flotz. Jack Prelutsky, one of the premier children's poets of our time, manages to be deadpan and goofy simultaneously and in perfect rhythm right up to the pleasantly unpredictable punch lines of his poems.

Take "Jellyfish Stew." "You're soggy, you're smelly, / you taste like shampoo, / you bog down my belly / with oodles of goo, / yet I would glue noodles / and prunes to my shoe, / for one oozy spoonful / of jellyfish stew." Poems about greedy grannies, exploding Bloders, and hypothetical situations such as having your nose unfortunately situated between your toes are guaranteed to delight you and your favorite kids. Quirky, surprising, and always delightful, Prelutsky's poems make us wish we'd grown up with his books in hand. Illustrator James Stevenson's loose pen-and-ink sketches are lively and fluid, waltzing along perfectly with Prelutsky's playful poetry. Once you and your children have howled your way through this ALA Notable Book, you'll be happy to discover that this talented pair has created two other meaty collections, including Something BIG Has Been Here and A Pizza the Size of the Sun. (Ages 4 to 12)

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

Dr Seuss, Jack Prelutsky, Lane Smith

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

With the release of Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! readers young and old are afforded a dazzling glimpse into the genius of Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel. The book is based on 14 rough drawings and verses Geisel's secretary gave to the author's editor, Janet Schulman, after his death in 1991. In these scribbled sketches and scratched-out lines, we witness the Seussian process in building a story. When brainstorming the name of what resulted in the Diffendoofer School, he jots down several possible names--"William Wilkins Woofer Junior," "Woodrow Watkins Woofer," "Zoofendorf Elementary," "J. Ebeneezer Bomberg Jr."--all of a slightly different cadence and rhythm, which he tests like a composer writing a new concerto.

A small collection of Geisel's rough sketches would be plenty to thrill even the Grinchiest of readers, but there's much more to this marvelous book. Renowned children's poet Jack Prelutsky and award-winning illustrator Lane Smith were called to action by Schulman to pull these sketches into a complete story that would make Dr. Seuss fruffulous with glee. Prelutsky's delicious verse is uncannily Seussian, and it is inexplicably sensational when exploring the Diffendoofer School to discover good old Horton, a platter of green eggs and ham, and a few Whos from Who-ville scattered across the surreal and fascinating landscape of Smith's artwork. Lane and Prelutsky have gone above and beyond the call of duty, maintaining the characters and themes Geisel was just beginning to develop, but enhancing them with their own delightful stylistic stamps.

Above all, this incredible book is an ode to unorthodox, unusually creative teachers, and the innovative thinking they encourage in young minds. (Miss Twining, for example, teaches "how to tell chrysanthemums from miniature poodles.") It is a noble theme, and one that Geisel surely had in mind when he concocted these preliminary sketches. Both new Dr. Seuss aficionados and those who remember The Cat in the Hat's 1957 debut will cherish this book for its message, artwork, and poetry, and most of all, as a tribute to the man who inspired thousands of readers. (Age 3 and older)

For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

good, but not written by JP 4 out of 5 stars.
30 of 31 people found this review helpful.

This is a very cute book with lively illustrations, but I was surprised when I received it that it was not written by Jack Prelutsky. The poems were selected by him, and they are enjoyable, but to me don't compare with his wonderful, zany poems that my children always want to hear. So, buyer beware- make sure these books are not "selected" by him or edited by Mr. Prelutsky if you want the real thing.

Completely inappropriate for children 1 out of 5 stars.
22 of 38 people found this review helpful.

While many of the poems are fine, some are morbid. For example, one talks about a boy swimming through the great lakes and drowning, and another talks about grandpa going down the drain and there now being one grandpa fewer. One talks about a dead father who has been haunting his son for 17 years. This book is completely inappropriate for cihldren.

Editorial Review:

Illus. in full color. "These nonsense verses combine the domestic and the gross, deadpan and slapstick, with a lilting rhythm and satisfying rhyme. The poets are well-known contemporaries including Prelutsky, Silverstein, Kuskin, Lobel, Viorst, and many more. The design is ebullient. Start or end story hour with these verses, and kids will know reading's a pleasure."--(starred) Booklist.

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

poetry, poetry, poetry! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry: How to Write a Poem

This new Prelutsky book is absolutely fabulous! Every year I engage my middle school students in creating an extensive "Poetry Package" as one of their major projects for the year, so this book has been a GREAT resource! THANK YOU, Jack Prelutsky! THANK YOU, Amazon.com!

Editorial Review:

Have you ever tried to write a poem about a pizza? How about a pig? How about a pigeon, penguin, potato, Ping-Pong, parrot, puppy, pelican, porcupine, pie, pachyderm, or your parents?

Jack Prelutsky has written more than a thousand poems about all of these things—and many others. In this book he gives you the inside scoop on writing poetry and shows you how you can turn your own experiences and stories about your family, your pets, and your friends into poems. He offers tips, advice, and secrets about writing and provides some fun exercises to help you get started (or unstuck). You'll also get a behind-the-scenes look at the ingredients of some of his most popular poems. If you are a poet, want to be a poet, or if you have to write a poem for homework and you just need some help, this is the book for you!

It's Raining Pigs & Noodles

Jack Prelutsky

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Brace yourself for more pun-ishment from the playful Jack Prelutsky and illustrator James Stevenson, creators of The New Kid on the Block, Something Big Has Been Here, and A Pizza the Size of the Sun. More than 100 Prelutsky poems populate the pages--a mix of 8-year-old-boy humor, nonsense poetry in the tradition of Ogden Nash and Edward Lear, and clever, often unabashedly shameless, wordplay. While there are many, many doozies, our favorite is "Hiccup!," excerpted here:

I've tried gulping hiccup water,
stood upon my hiccup head,
held my breath until my hiccup
hiccup face turned hiccup red.

Chronic cogitators are celebrated in "Quibble Q. Quing" (who thinks about things), and wild imaginations in "Purple Orangutans:" ("Rabbits and parrots play tag in the stars, / marshmallows march in the meadows of Mars... / these are a few of the wonders I find / in the magic museum I keep in my mind.") Children find a kindred spirit in Prelutsky, a poet who knows full well that overweight underdogs and chocolate-covered salami and Sniffing Snutterwudds are always worth a giggle. Stevenson's understated (but always expressive) line drawings suit this silly collection to a T. (Perfect for reading aloud to younger readers, but wordsmiths ages 9 and older will pick up all the puns.) --Karin Snelson