I was disappointed in some ways with Jack Prelutsky's I've Lost My Hippopotamus. While there were a handful of poems--and yes, I mean just a handful--that I really loved and enjoyed, most of the poems were of the not-for-me variety. The good news? Well, I think the audience for these poems are young kids--early elementary. The humor that makes adult readers groan might just make some kids giggle. Take for instance, the play on words for "centipede."
A centipede was thirsty,
But to satisfy its need,
It drank too much for it to hold--
And so the centipede.
Here are a few of the poems I definitely enjoyed:
- "Thanksgiving Math" (112)
- "I'm Knitting a Napkin of Noodles" (96)*
- "The Scritchy Scratchy Scrootches" (9)**
- "Let's Make as Much Noise As We Possibly Can" (92)***
- "Mister Snoffle" (111)****
*Because I just love the first sentence, "I'm knitting a napkin of noodles, because I don't have any yarn." That is just too fun to say.
**Again, I love the sound of this one. It just feels right.
***Because I think parents AND teachers can relate
****Okay, this isn't the best-ever poem about waffles. It will never be able to top, "Mummy Slept Late and Daddy Fixed Breakfast" by John Ciardi. But at least this poem didn't make me groan. And it was one of the better ones in the collection.
Read I've Lost My Hippopotamus
- If you're a fan of Jack Prelutsky
- If you're a fan of juvenile poetry
- If you're looking for a poetry collection to share with first and second graders; though maybe other elementary grades as well; I think the humor is best for this age group.
- If you are looking for very, very, very silly poems with an abundance of puns
© 2012 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
