My Dog May Be a Genius
by Jack Prelutsky
from Greenwillow
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 New Kid on the Block
by Jack Prelutsky
from Greenwillow
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)
Open this book to any page to begin your exploration. Here are poems about things that you may never have thought about before. You'll be introduced to jellyfish stew, a bouncing mouse, a ridiculous dog, and a boneless chicken. You'll learn why you shouldn't argue with a shark, eat a dinosaur, or have an alligator for a pet. You'll meet the world's worst singer and the greatest video game player in history. You'll even find an invitation to a dragon's birthday party....Your friends are invited too.
Over 100 hilarious poems about strange creatures and people--from jellyfish stew to a bouncing mouse, and a boneless chicken. "The illustrations bring the frivolity to a fever pitch."--School Library Journal. Index.I Am Not Going To Get Up Today! (Beginner Books(R))
by Dr. Seuss
from Random House Books for Young Readers
Although I'm Not Going to Get Up Today! is aimed at young readers, it just gets better as you get older. Only after you've weathered more than few world-weary years can you fully appreciate this book's profound and universal message: "The alarm can ring. The birds can peep. My bed is warm. My pillow's deep. Today's the day I'm going to sleep!" But the rhyming words of Dr. Seuss and goofy illustrations from James Stevenson will surely get more than a few giggles from the old and the young, as everyone in town--from brothers and sisters to the police and the Marines--conspires to get our little hero out of bed. But, as the sleepy boy says, "nobody's going to get me up, no matter what he does." (Not with tickling nor shaking nor cold water on the head.) "Nothing's going to get me up. Why can't you understand! You'll only waste your money if you hire a big brass band." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes
Illus. in full color. "A rhyming story that is full of laughs. 'The alarm can ring. The birds can peep....Today's the day I'm going to sleep,' says a lazy boy one morning, and despite a pail of icy water, television coverage, and the arrival of the Marines, he vows to stay in bed--and he does! The repetition of concepts and words will keep children turning the pages, as will the energetic drawings. A sure draw for early readers."--Booklist. Â
Going, Going, Gone! with the Pain and the Great One (Pain & the Great One)
by Judy Blume
from Delacorte Books for Young Readers
THE PAIN AND the Great One are going places! In these new stories the kids are on the go—the Pain needs a trip to the emergency room; the family goes to the mall and not everyone stays together; the kids visit a county fair and want to ride the Super Slide; and a beach outing includes a boogie board. Lots more action and adventure for the dynamic duo who never stay still.
Soupy Saturdays with the Pain and the Great One (Pain & the Great One)
by Judy Blume
from Delacorte Books for Young Readers
MEET THE PAIN:
My sister's name is Abigail. I call her The Great One because she thinks she's so great. Who cares if she's in third grade and I'm just in first?
MEET THE GREAT ONE:
My brother's name is Jacob Edward, but everyone calls him Jake. Everyone but me. I call him The Pain because that's what he is. He's a first-grade pain. I'll always know exactly what he's thinking. That's just the way it is.
These seven warm-hearted stories will give readers a peek at how a brother and sister relate to each other.
Something Big Has Been Here
by Jack Prelutsky
from Greenwillow
In this delightful companion to Jack Prelutsky's The New Kid on the Block, an early worm frightens the early bird, four vain and ancient tortoises race to see who can get to the finish line last, and outrageous imaginary characters such as the "Know-Nothing Neebies" ("We're perfectly pompous, / indelibly dense, / we haven't a trace / of a semblance of sense") pop up as magically as any creature from The Phantom Tollbooth or The Wizard of Oz ever did.
In "Captain Conniption," young readers will giggle to meet the self-professed "scourge of the sea." "I'm Captain Conniption, / and up to no good, / you'll soon walk the plank / if I think that you should, / I'd show you right now / how I vanquish a foe, / but I hear my mother, / so I have to go." Other subjects near and dear to children's hearts make fabulous fodder for fun, including sibling rivalry, bad table manners, meatloaf, and bats. Illustrator James Stevenson's lively line drawings capture Prelutsky's goofy poetic antics perfectly, making this collection another essential addition to any child's library. (Ages 4 to 12)
Something big is right here!
It is this book of wonderful, funny new poems by lack Prelutsky. If you've read The New Kid on the Block, you have some idea of the treat ahead. And if you haven't, all you have to do is start reading!
Here are four vain and ancient tortoises, a rat of culture, Super Samson Simpson, a meat loaf that defies an ax, five flying hotdogs--and many, many more people, animals, and things that are destined to become part of the lives of everyone who loves to laugh. Say them, chant them, learn them by heart, or just read them--Jack Prelutsky's poems are incomparable.
The long-awaited companion to The New Kid on the Block. "A wealth of funny new verse from a favorite poet. Prelutsky's comic muse is at its best here....Another winner."--Kirkus Reviews. "Prelutsky has done it again."--School Library JournalA Pizza the Size of the Sun
by Jack Prelutsky
from Greenwillow
Jack Prelutsky is widely acknowledged as the poet laureate of the younger generation. (And many people would happily see him crowned with no age qualification.) The New Kid on the Block and Something Big Has Been Here are household words wherever there are kids.
Here is another wondrously rich, varied, clever - and always funny - collection. Meet Miss Misinformation, Swami Gourami, and Gladiola Gloppe (and her Soup Shoppe), and delight in a backwards poem, a poem that ever ends, and scores of others that will be changed, read, and loved by readers of every age. The Prelutsky-Stevenson duo is irresistible. Whether you begin at the beginning or just open the book at random, you won't stop smiling.
I Know a Lady
by Charlotte Zolotow
from HarperTrophy
If you are lucky you know someone like the elderly lady in this book. Whenever she sees you--coming home from school, trick-or-treating at Halloween, or walking with your dog in the wood--she makes you feel special. She is someone you admire. She is someone you love.
Rocks in His Head
by Carol Otis Hurst
from Greenwillow
Some people collect stamps. Other people collect coins. Carol Otis Hurst's father collected rocks. Nobody ever thought his obsession would amount to anything. They said, "You've got rocks in your head" and "There's no money in rocks." But year after year he kept on collecting, trading, displaying, and labeling his rocks. The Depression forced the family to sell their gas station and their house, but his interest in rocks never wavered. And in the end the science museum he had visited so often realized that a person with rocks in his head was just what was needed.
Anyone who has ever felt a little out of step with the world will identify with this true story of a man who followed his heart and his passion.
Happily Ever After (Puffin Chapters)
by Anna Quindlen
from Puffin
Eight-year-old Kate is a tomboy, but not your typical tomboy. She loves baseball and hates wearing dresses, but she can often be found in her room reading a good old fairy tale and imagining herself as the beautiful princess. One day, while dreamily staring at the princess's crown, Kate magically wishes herself into the fairy tale. Now Kate is the princess and she will soon find out that being royalty isn't all that it's cracked up to be. After rescuing herself from the evil knight (the "wimp" of a prince couldn't manage this on his own), teaching a witch and troll to play jacks, and training her ladies-in-waiting in the art of baseball, Kate finds the princess life pretty dull and wishes her way back home. Kate realizes that being her old tomboy self, minus the crown, isn't so bad, and in fact it's pretty great. Author Anna Quindlen's charming story will appeal to all children interested in dragons, knights, adventures, and living happily ever after. (Ages 5 to 9)
One day, while holding her treasured baseball mitt, Kate makes a wish. And poof!— she turns into a princess in a fairy tale. But being a princess isn't at all what Kate imagined. Before long, she's fighting off dragons, entertaining witches, and teaching the ladies-in-waiting how to play baseball. With Kate around, fairy tale land will never be the same again!
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