The master of mischievous rhyme, Jack Prelutsky has whipped up a storm of more than one hundred hilarious poems. Grab your umbrella—and make sure it's a big one!
It's raining pigs and noodles,
it's pouring frogs and hats,
chrysanthemums and poodles,
bananas, brooms, and cats.
Assorted prunes and parrots
are dropping from the sky,
here comes a bunch of carrots,
some hippopotami.
March 14, 2005
The team behind The New Kid on the Block
offers a bounteous volume of verse. In a starred review, PW
said, "The reigning czars of silliness are back. Hats off to these two glorious goofballs!" Ages 5-up.
August 1, 2008
K-Gr 5-Jack Prelutsky has set to music and performs 28 of his poems from the book of the same title (Greenwillow Press, 2000). Humorous throughout, there is a lot of variety, both in the poetry and in the music. Some of the pieces are nonsensical, such as the title poem that lists many ridiculous items it could pour instead of rain. There are funny story poems such as "I Chased a Dragon Through the Woods," and thoughtful poems such as "Plooters" which sarcastically admonishes those who "don't care, we make messes everywhere." And of course there are his exuberant wordplays, like "Is Traffic Jam Delectable?" Prelutsky perfectly matches the tone of each poem with the style of music, ranging from blues to bluegrass. With a wide assortment of accompanying instruments (mandolin, banjo, violin, guitar, harmonica and clarinet), some of the songs have a Celtic, Mexican, or Eastern European flavor. The poem titles are printed on the CD only, making it impossible to read them while listening. A great way to introduce children to poetry or to enliven a poetry unit."Cynthia Grabke, Halifax Elementary School, MA"
Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 15, 2000
Ages 4-8. "Is traffic jam delectable? / Does jelly fish in lakes?" With puns, slapstick, rhyme, nonsense, and lots of yucky food, the author-illustrator team that began with the popular "New Kid on the Block" (1984 ) are back with their fourth funny collection of more than 100 poems. The words have a bouncing rhythm that's great for reading aloud, and Stevenson's small, scribbly, casual ink drawings extend the humor with character and mischief. Like all the best nonsense, the wildness is grounded in its own logic, which depends as much on sound as meaning. Some of the words are in concrete shapes--a maze, a spiral, a zigzag--and the poems about burps and hiccups will make children do what they hear about. In the end, nearly everything comes down to food, whether it's chocolate-covered salami, worm puree, or Sir Lunchalot with his formidable lance. This is "unabated chaos" that also celebrates imagination. \plain\f2\fs17 (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)
Starred review from October 2, 2000
Following A Pizza the Size of the Sun, the reigning czars of silliness are back on the warpath, wreaking poetic havoc with yet another deliciously sly volume. The titles alone are a treat: "Never Poke Your Uncle With a Fork"; "I'm Ironing My Rhinoceros"; "Waffles Give Me Sniffles." Prelutsky trips the light verse fantastic across territory that's familiar yet fresh. He gleefully descends to the depths of gross-out humor ("Worm puree, oh hooray!/ You're the dish that makes my day"), engages in nimble wordplay ("There's no present like the time," he notes in "I Gave My Friend a Cuckoo Clock") and once again proves himself king of the final one-two punch (a knight confesses to ineffectuality in an ode closing with this couplet: "My name is famed through all the land/ I'm called Sir Lunchalot"). The sassy selection of nonsense rhymes and puckish poems will further endear Prelutsky to his many fans. Meanwhile, partner-in-crime Stevenson peppers the pages with his inimitably impish sketches, from pigs in kilts on stilts to fleas on a circus trapeze. Hats off to these two glorious goofballs! Ages 5-up.
January 1, 2001
Prelutsky plays his way through silly images, nonsense words, and corny punch lines. Some of the 106 poems celebrate childhood mischief; and it wouldn't be Prelutsky without a bit of the gross. As in their previous books, Stevenson deftly follows the goofy tone in small homely pen sketches sprinkled among the verse. Some of the jokes will be best understood by adults, but the book is sure to tickle readers young and old.
(Copyright 2001 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
November 1, 2000
K-Gr 6-Another felicitous collaboration from this team, full of the joy of words and whimsical images. Though the format, size, and type of content is similar to the duo's other books, the verse is fresh and catchy with sparkling wordplay and unexpected rhymes, and Stevenson's line drawings project the humor with verve. Included are the usual poems about weird animals and unusual children, a dragon, yucky food, fantastic experiences in everyday situations, and quite a few clever shape poems. There is even a disappearing one that actually vanishes off the page. All but two of the selections are new. As in the previous books, a wide variety of typefaces and printing tricks are utilized to create an imaginative and entertaining look. Wonderful tools for teachers, the poems boast impeccable rhythms and rhymes and strongly appeal to a child's sense of humor, whether read aloud or independently.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA
Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.