Something Big Has Been Here

September 5, 1990
If this anthology of light verse and black-and-white drawings from Prelutsky and Stevenson were a movie, it would be titled The New Kid on the Block Part II. In format, subject matter and tone, fans of the earlier volumes will rejoice in finding more of the same. These are not poems to savor for their metaphoric language or depth of thought, but are instead frivolous, rib-tickling verses about the ``Ghost Who's Lost His Boo,'' about ``Rhododendra Rosenbloom'' who buys perfume from a ``ten scent store,'' or about the ``Fearless Flying Hotdogs'' who are ``mustered in formation / to climb, to dip, to dive.'' Prelutsky's comic monologues focus on such topics as ``I am Tired of Being Little'' or ``I'm Sorry! for being a brat,'' or the irresistible declaration of love, ``Warteena Weere Just Bit My Ear.'' From Twickles and Moodles to the making of Grasshopper Gumbo, the emphasis is on the preposterous. Stevenson's waggish drawings provide half the fun in this comic collection that skips lightly on the mind and tongue. Ages 5-up.

October 1, 1990
From the intriguing title poem to the final verse, "We're Fearless Flying Hotdogs," Prelutsky has done it again with childwise sparkling wit. Zaniness is in abundant supply with verses about a turkey that shot out of the oven (it was stuffed with unpopped popcorn); Denson Dumm, who planted lightbulbs in his hair (and thereafter was always bright); and the child who wants a pet porcupine. But also present in delightful numbers are serious subjects of importance to children, wrapped in silliness: "I Am Tired of Being Little," "Don't Yell at Me!," and "I Should Have Stayed in Bed Today." Prelutsky's language is neither simple nor sappy, but rich with challenging words such as "disputatious" and "alacrity," whose meanings are clear in context. The poems are short and snappy (many are only one or two stanzas), and Stevenson's accompanying uncomplicated and comical drawings give the book an uncluttered appeal. A winner for individual or group reading. -Lee Bock Pulaski, Brown County Pub . Libraries, Green Bay, WI

January 1, 1990
For those complaining of boredom, a brief plunge into Prelutsky's newest collection of verse should provide at least a temporary cure. The author's joyous sense of the absurd and the rich resources of his zany imagination propel the reader from page to page, and Stevenson's small cartoons extend the mad humor of the poems. Index.

(Copyright 1990 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)