Jack Prelutsky is one of my kids’ favourite poets. A couple of weeks ago they recited some of his comical poems to a friend, who then asked if they could type out “Spaghetti Seeds” and email it. It turned out to be a good opportunity for the girls to practice typing. Here are the poems they chose to copy from A Pizza the Size of the Sun (1996), followed by 10 fun facts about the talented and hilarious Jack Prelutsky.
The Poems
“Please Remove Seal”
PLEASE REMOVE SEAL BEFORE USING THIS PRODUCT,
the sign on the box clearly read.
I don’t have a seal, but I’m taking no chances–
I’ll toss out my walrus instead.
“Eureka!”
Eureka! At last I’ve succeeded,
my experiment’s finally done.
I’ve made an incredible creature,
the only one under the sun.
There’s never been anything like it,
part puppy, part kitten, part mouse–
and now I must learn how to stop it
from chasing itself through the house.
“Chipmunk, Chipmunk”
Chipmunk, chipmunk, just like that,
Hopped into the pudding vat.
Chipmunk, chipmunk take a bow–
you’re a chocolate chipmunk now!
“Spaghetti Seeds”
“These are the best spaghetti seeds,”
the farmer promised me.
“And each of them grow to be
a fine spaghetti tree.”
I planted them a year ago…
that farmer is a phony.
I’ve not got one spaghetti tree–
just fields of macaroni.
“A Knothead”
To come out and call you a knothead
would not be a nice thing to do.
However, I can’t help but notice
that woodpecker landing on you.
“Penguins”
Penguins cautiously reside
on our planet’s underside,
where they’re careful not to cough,
lest they trip and tumble off.
The Poet
- Jack Prelutsky was once beat up for publishing a poem in his junior high newspaper.
2. He dropped out of college after failing a few English courses
3. In the 1960s Prelutsky sang in coffeehouses and became friends with Bob Dylan.
4. Before becoming a published poet Prelutsky held many different jobs including a furniture mover, piano mover, taxi cab driver, coal shoveler, fruit picker, truck driver, photographer, busboy, potter, woodworker, and door-to-door salesman.
5. Prelutsky sent some drawings of imaginary turtle animals to a publisher and quickly wrote some poems to accompany them; he was surprised when the editor wanted the poems and not the drawings! This led to his first book A Gopher in the Garden and Other Animal Poems (1967).
6. In 1998 Prelutsky was chosen to complete a partial manuscript by Dr. Seuss, Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!
7. He became the U.S.’s first Children’s Poet Laureate in 2006.
8. His poem “Behold the Umbrellaphant” was set to music by the San Diego Symphony.
9. He has also set his own poems to music and often sings and plays guitar for the audio versions of his anthologies.
10. Jack Prelutsky collects miniature frogs!
Sources
- “Who Is Jack Prelutsky?” by Bethany Calderwood via Study.com
- “Jack Prelutsky Facts for Kids” via Kiddle Encyclopedia
- “Jack Prelutsky” via Reading Rockets