The New Kid on the Block - Softcover

Prelutsky, Jack

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590408364 ISBN 13: 9780590408363

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks, 1989

Synopsis

I'd rather take baths
with a man-eating shark,
or wrestle a lion
alone in the dark,
eat spinach and liver,
pet ten porcupines,
than tackle the homework
my teacher assigns.

Jellyfish stew,
I'm loony for you,
I dearly adore you,
oh, truly I do,
you're creepy to see,
revolting to chew,
you slide down inside
with a hullabaloo.

About this title

Review:

This exuberant valise of verse bulges with more than 100 poems about things you've probably never thought about before, 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", for example: "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 kids. Quirky, surprising and always delightful, Prelutsky's poems make us wish we'd grown up with his books ourselves. 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, 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.

Review:

"A fine prescription against the blues at anytime of year." -- "The Horn Book" (starred review)"A wealth of funny new verse from a favoritepoet...Hilarious black and white art. Another winner from this talented pair."-- "Kirkus Reviews" (pointered review)"Here's a new treat for the multitudes who devoured "The New Kid on the Block.""-- "ALA Booklist" (starred review)"Prelutsky loosens his agile imagination in words, while around the pages cavort Stevenson's interpretive line drawings, shimmy-shimmying to the beat. Terrific." -- "Kirkus Reviews" (pointered review)"Prelutsky's predilection for playfulness percolates throughout this collection of slyly subversive rhymes, and he couldn't ask for a better partner in crime than Stevenson...."-- "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

It s the author s joyous sense of the absurd that propels the reader from page to page. --Horn Book (starred review)"

"It's the author's joyous sense of the absurd that propels the reader from page to page."--Horn Book (starred review)

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0590408364
• ISBN 13: 9780590408363
• Binding: Paperback