Amazon.com Review
The creators of the critically acclaimed
The Dragons Are Singing Tonight and
Monday's Troll are back with more
breathtaking artwork, rib-tickling poetry, and a ghastly, gruesome cast of characters. Griffins, gargoyles, and goblins dance out of children's poet Jack Prelutsky's merry pen and two-time Caldecott Honor artist Peter Sis infuses life and elegance into this creepy crew with his soft-hued, finely crosshatched oil and gouache illustrations.
While the monsters are malodorous and the vampires vile, Prelutsky captures a full range of (superhuman) emotions in his poetry: the troll is lonely, the mother gargoyle is tender, and the werewolf laments his lost youth. As always, the poet's meter is perfect--never a stumbling or forced line--and children will revel in the playful rhythms of poems like "Gremlins":
When your pillow turns to pickles,
And there's honey on your head,
When you note an orange elephant
Reclining on your bed,
When you reach into your pocket
And withdraw a purple mouse,
These are early indications
There are gremlins in your house.
Very young children may be scared by the monsters and their unveiled threats to chase, devour, and pounce on their victims. But kids old enough to know a fake monster from a real one will adore this funny, gorgeous collection by two masterful artists. (Click to see a sample spread. Text copyright 1999 by Jack Prelutsky. Illustrations copyright 1999 by Peter Sis. Permission of Greenwillow Books.) (Ages 6 to 10) --Karin Snelson
From Publishers Weekly
Prelutsky and S!s (The Dragons Are Singing Tonight; Monday's Troll) are at it again, concocting another spine-tingling brew of humorous verse and witty illustrations toasting gruesome ghouls. Celebrating gremlins, griffins and basilisks as well as more garden-variety monsters, Prelutsky's poems are filled with nimble word-play and shameless puns (quips a formerly lonely troll newly equipped with a telephone, "Feel free to call me, night or day/ .../ I've got a troll-free number"). Whether reciting the laments of an aging werewolf or observing a vampire's daily grooming habits ("When I look into the mirror,/ My reflection's never there./ So I always stare at nothing/ As I shave and comb my hair"), his rhymes never fail to amuse. S!s's ethereal oil and gouache illustrations, with their elegantly designed borders and finely cross-hatched detail, play up the inherent humor while bringing a touch of sophistication to the silliness, and he ties the pages together visually with an antique-like ochre frame around each scene. This is another winner from a pair of seasoned collaborators, and fans can only hope they keep them coming. Ages 6-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
