10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"...It's evident my dog is not a dunce!", March 22, 2009
This review is from: My Dog May Be a Genius (Hardcover)
I'm not afraid of anything,
except, perhaps, of bears,
and spiders, snakes, and centipedes,
and falling down the stairs...
If you are not a lover of poetry, no problem. Don't think of these hilarious ditties as poetry, but as crazily skewed glimpses into the wacky world of kids. Children's Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky gives us a big beautiful book full of wordplay, and you just can't read it without bobbing your head and tapping your foot. It's hardly fair to give you just the beginnings of these poems, but you WILL want to read it for yourself, all 100+ crazy jingles.
I crossed a lion with a mouse.
Their progeny patrol my house,
and often roar, demanding cheese--
I give them all the cheese they please...
Animals, real and imagined, populate this book and will delight any child. Who says an elephant has to remember, or that...well, that a pet can't play chess?
I have a pet orangutan,
the two of us play chess.
I always won when we began,
but now I'm winning less.
Much of the humor is rooted in the familiar, but with an unexpected twist; such as a letter from camp ("My counselor says I have to write--I threw up on my sweater...") or the hilarious ode to homework:
Homework, sweet homework,
you heavenly thing,
as soon as I see you
I dance and I sing...
Many of the poems are quite philosophical, drawing "life lessons" from everyday observations, as in "A Turtle":
A turtle never feels the need
to ambulate at breakneck speed.
Of course, unsuited for the deed,
it certainly would not succeed...
Or "A Worm":
A worm wends its winding and unaware way,
wriggling in solitude day after day...
There are cynical commentaries on family life, and as you know, kids will say anything!
My sister's taking lessons
in learning how to sing.
From everything I've heard so far,
she hasn't learned a thing...
Prelutsky takes forays into a fantastical world that will stretch the imagination:
We witches love our weekends
at the Spells & Smells Motel.
They cultivate our business,
and they treat our coven well...
Line illustrations by James Stevenson add much to this beautifully-laid-out book. Many of the poems are presented graphically, such as the ovoid "I'm Trapped in an Egg" and the winding "I Am on a Bumpy Road".
My Dog May Be a Genius is a gorgeous book with plenty of space on the page, tons of style, and a sure-fire sense of humor. It begs to be read out loud, preferably by a child.
Linda Bulger, 2009
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