I've Lost My Hippopotamus
Prelutsky presents more than 100 humorous poems in loose groupings, brought to buoyant life by Urbanovic’s lively pen-and-ink gestures. Though uniformly and squarely aimed at the elementary-school funny bone, the poems represent a wide variety of form and style. Some, like “The Pelicantaloupes” and “The Appleopards,” imagine an unlikely cross between an animal and a fruit and come accompanied by pronunciation assistance. Others find silliness in everyday circumstance, while most veer toward the hilarious and totally unexpected (like “Shopping at a Dragon Store”). A few haiku find their way in, as do the odd limerick and concrete poem. Many share a common meter (think “Miss Lucy had a steamboat”), making them particularly well suited to be read, or chanted, aloud. Urbanovic’s cartoony black-and-white line drawings enjoy ample real estate, spreading across pages to reinforce the poetic puns. It’s easy to imagine this one being passed around the cafeteria or safely stored in a backpack. Grades 2-4. --Thom Barthelmess