Customer Reviews

Something Big Has Been Here

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We have enjoyed this book for several years. My second grader and my fourth grader have both memorized at least 1/3 of the poems. They have both taken up writing poetry now because they realized it can be so much fun. This book is a must have for any young family. The only reason I did not give it a complete 5 stars was that, while cute, the illustrations are not spectacular.

This collection of Jack Prelutsky's silly and goofy poems is a must-have in any self-respecting poetry collection. The subjects of the poems range from mask-wearing earthworms to a room-trashing robot; from wishes to be bigger, to fishing in the desert. Children will laugh at the fearsome pirate "Captain Conniption," terror of the seas, who always obeys his mother. Many will sympathize with the longing of the boy in "My Brother is a Quarterback" who yearns to be a great athlete like his brother is.

"I Wave Goodbye When Butter Flies" is an excellent example of the oddities of the English language. The poem turns such common phrases as "pocket change" and "coffee break" on their ears and makes them into something new. There are subtle puns on condiments in "We're Fearless Flying Hotdogs" (can you find the one for saurkraut?). The emptyheadedly happy expressions on the five flying franks make the whole idea even funnier.

James Stevenson's line drawings accentuate the levity and absurdity of the poems. His artwork for "An Elephant is Hard to Hide" demonstrates even better than words the impossibility of stuffing an elephant into a dresser drawer. The expression of glee on the face of the boy reveling in "Mold, Mold" is identical to expressions seen in mud puddley schoolyards.

This volume is a treasure for both children and adults. It's a great way to spend some time laughing with a child (or by yourself).

My eight yr. old loves Jack Prelutsky's poems (she has three of his books) but it is also a book that both of us enjoy reading. The poems are very funny and the words he uses are wonderfully descriptive and have expanded her vocabulary. We both highly recommend this book and others by Jack Prelutsky.

Jack Prelutsky is far and away the best poet for kids. Hisverse is full of the joy of life and a chuckle or two, as well as hissignature multisyllabic vocabulary, and it's all wonderful to read aloud. Keep a copy in the car for the kids to read while you drive.

This is an awesome book. The poems are very clever, funny and appealing to kids, along the lines of Shel Silverstein. The difference is the very sophisticated vocabulary that Prelutsky uses. I use a poem per week from this book for my remedial middle school students for oral reading fluency, plus I create our weekly vocabulary word list from words from the weekly poem.

I ADORE this book. I've been reading and re-reading it since I was in middle school and still get a kick out of the bizarre, witty and hilarious poems and the great variety in the vocabulary. It's one of my "happy books" I read when I'm depressed. Prelutsky is a genius when it comes to poetry for kids (and the young-at-heart!). Get this book, if you have any sense of humor or the absurd you'll love it.

I first read this book when I was about 10 years old (I'm now 22.) Though I haven't even laid eyes on this book in at least 6 or 7 years, I can still recite by memory several of the poems, including "Something Big Has Been Here", "The Early Worm" and "I Wave Goodbye When Butter Flies."

As a child I loved poems, but often felt Shel Silverstein's were too morbid (especially some of the drawings.) Though I'm a huge fan of his now, at the time Something Big Has Been Here was a wonderful, more mellow book of poems that really got me loving cleverly written poems.

The best thing about the book, in my opinion, is that even though it's written for children, it never talks down to them or oversimplifies emotions or actions. And it's funny enough that even adults can get a snicker or two.

I had this book when I was 8 years old, and I can still recite 3 of the poems from memory: "Something Big Has Been Here", "Happy Birthday Mother Dearest", and my favorite "I Should Have Stayed in Bed Today." My sister referenced the latter a moment ago and thought it was Shel Silverstein, so I looked it up to confirm. Getting to look inside the book brought back so many memories. It's a great book to help introduce kids to reading and poetry. I'll buy it for my kids when I have some.

I ordered this book because a lesson plan I was using required it. My students enjoyed acting out the poem I read to them. Since then, I pick a poem for my Kindergarten through third graders for after every Physical Education class to help my kids use their imagination as they quietly cool down. Their homeroom teachers appreciate them coming back to them ready to learn! I am very happy to have this book in my equipment arsenal!

My niece loves this book. She is in first grade and loves poems. The poems in this book are fun, detailed, funny, and very descriptive. After reading many of the poems in the book she says she wants to eventually take a class about poetry. She already started to try to write her own poems. The illustrations in this book are great. This book was intended for children but people of all ages can enjoy it.