Ride a Purple Pelican (Mulberry Books) [Paperback]

Jack Prelutsky (Author), Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 1997 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Mulberry Books

It is hard to believe that Cincinnati Patty, Justin Austin, Pennington Poe, and the little pink pig in Arkansas have not been chanted and sung about by children for generations. But it is not hard to believe that they Will be chanted and sung about for generations to come! Jack Prelutsky and Garth Williams have created a nursery world, peopled with unforgettable characters. Come and meet your new friends. They will be old friends soon!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This collection of Jack Prelutsky is delightfully nonsensical, as we've come to expect from the creator of The New Kid on the Block and more than 40 other equally zany collections. We were thinking of Edward Lear's The Jumblies as we read, "Jilliky Jolliky Jelliky Jee,/three little cooks in a coconut tree,/one cooked a peanut and one cooked a pea,/one brewed a thimble of cinnamon tea,/then they sat down to a dinner for three,/Jilliky Jolliky Jelliky Jee." If you've wondered why potatoes can't see even with all those eyes, or why poor Pennington Poe is weeping, this is the book for you and your kids. Garth Williams, illustrator of Charlotte's Web and Bedtime for Frances, enhances this lively collection with his whimsical, expressive paintings. (Ages 2 to 6) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

A rollicking, rambunctious collection of rhymes by the author of the popular and acclaimed The New Kid on the Block. Prelutsky's nonsense verse is simple and tongue-twisting by turns as he carries his readers along on fantastic flights of fancy "from Seattle/ to the city of New York." Kids will enjoy the stops along the way to visit "Timble Tamble Turkey," "Jilliky, Jolliky, Jelliky, Jee" and "Hannah Banana," or pronounce such locales as Saskatoon, Albuquerque or Cincinnati. The verse is made all the more engaging by the flowing full-color pictures by Williams. The book vibrates with these paintings that can create a mood, communicate a feeling or expand on the zaniness of Prelutsky's characters and situations. This is a fine and funny introduction to poetry for the very young. Kids will want to climb on board for another trip, and soon.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (September 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688156258
• ISBN-13: 978-0688156251
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #153,290 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( W ) > Williams, Garth
  • #67 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > General

More About the Author

Jack Prelutsky has filled more than fifty books of verse with his inventive wordplay, including the national bestsellers The Wizard, Scranimals, and The New Kid on the Block. He is also the author of Be Glad Your Nose is on your Face, a collection of his most celebrated verses. He was named the nation's first Children's Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation. Jack Prelutsky lives in Washington State.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful rhyming, January 17, 2008

By 

nmdad (Albuquerque, NM USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ride a Purple Pelican (Hardcover)

I give this book most of the credit for the fact that my 3 year old was the first in his pre-school class to understand rhyming. It's easy and fun to read with a lot of interesting animals (like kudus) and place names (like Saskatchewan). The beautiful illustrations add to its delight. This is easily my favorite book to read to the kids.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute delight...!, March 8, 2007

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Ride a Purple Pelican (Mulberry Books) (Paperback)

For those who appreciate silliness, whimsey, and the supple flow of language used well, this book is an absolute delight. While many children's book authors try using rhyme in their works, few do it with the gracefulness and sense of sheer fun that poet Jack Prelutsky brings to the form. Add to his words the colorful, kooky draftsmanship of artist Garth Williams, and you've got an instant classic. These ditties combine elegant feel of A. A. Milne's poems with the giddy abandon of good, old-fashioned limericks. Most of all, they are fun to read, and equally fun to listen to... And don't be surprised if you and your kids wind up memorizing a few of them, to recite for years to come. Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ride A Purple Pelican, October 12, 2005

By 

Patricia Braun (Oak Park, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ride a Purple Pelican (Hardcover)

Prelutsky's nursery rhymes are just what the young children need for their language development. they include places and artifacts from the American culture that English speaking children can pick up, and second language learners can learn. The first poem my young son, three years old, memorized was Late One Night in Kalamazoo.