If you are a book geek like me, a trip to the bookstore on a Saturday night is your idea of fun! Last night, my son and I went to the bookstore and I bought My Dog May Be a Genius written by Children's Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by James Stevenson. This infamous duo also brought us The New Kid on the Block and It's Raining Pigs and Noodles. Publisher's Weekly gave My Dog May Be a Genius a starred review, stating, "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." But fans of Prelutsky and Stevenson don't need a starred review to know that this book will be terrific!Here's a little teaser from My Dog May Be a Genius...
The View from Here
The view from here is very strange,
the porcupines are flying.
The crocodiles are laughing,
and the kangaroos are crying.
A bobolink is bouncing
on a tiny trampoline,
a panda's flipping pancakes--
it's no ordinary scene.
An elephant is singing,
and a donkey does a dance.
An octopus is juggling
a variety of plants.
A centipede is sneezing
in an armadillo's ear,
and storks are turning somersaults--
I like the view from here.
Jack Prelutsky's website has poems from many of his poetry books as well as author information, activities for the classroom and home, and a poetry contest. The Poetry Foundation is an invaluable resource for poetry and has a plethora of information on Jack Prelutsky. Watch an interview with Jack Prelutsky on the Reading Rockets website and a webcast of him presenting at the 2007 National Book Festival. Scholastic's Writing with Writer's feature gives children the opportunity to write poetry with Jack Prelutsky through an online writer's workshop and publish it!
I'll post more poetry resources this week as we get ready for poetry month!
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