Friday, May 4, 2012

I've Lost My Hippopotamus by Jack Prelutsky

Animals abound in this new collection from the 1st Children's Poet Laureate. Some are real. You might even have seen them in a zoo. Others live in the poet's imagination like the crabacus and the boomerangutan.

What I thought: I'm never disappointed in Prelutsky's poetry. It's funny. At times, it's downright absurd. That's why it works...it's fun! Kids (and adults) don't want to read dull poetry. The illustrations are great. Black line drawings can pack quite a punch. The made-up animals reminded me of Prelutsky's other collection Scranimals. My favorite poems are "Shopping at the Dragon Store," "I Planted a Whistle," "The Hopalotamus," "I Laugh at My Hyena," "The Elegant Bowtiger," and "It's Noisy in My Garden."

(Illus. Jackie Urbanovic. Greenwillow, 2012)

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