The following review is in partial fulfillment of the requirements forLS5603.20, Genre 3—poetry.
1. Bibliography
Prelutsky, Jack. 1994. A Pizza the Size of the Sun. Ill. by James Stevenson. New York: Greenwillow Books. ISBN 0-688-13236-7
2. Plot Summary
Jack Prelutsky, named Children’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation on September 27, 2006 (http://www.jackprelutsky.com/), has written a collection of 105 funny poems about animals, siblings, and other experiences of childhood. Most of the poems are illustrated by James Stevenson’s ink drawings.
3. Critical Review
A Pizza the Size of the Sun is made up completely of poems by a single author, Jack Prelutsky, and illustrated by James Stevenson. Prelutsky’s work is familiar to and loved by most school children because of its humor and the unexpected twist at the end of many of the poems. There are no chapters or divisions within the book. The order of the poems seems to be random, and could probably be rearranged without losing meaning or enjoyment. The book has one index arranged by title and one arranged by first line, which is a very helpful feature since the order is random and the first line and title are different in some of the poems.
One poem in the collection that is universal and timeless is “Hurry Grandma Hurry.” The narrator urges Grandma to watch while he engages in childhood antics like swinging from a tree, skating backwards in the street, eating bugs, and climbing ladders. When Grandma reacts in typical grandma fashion by fainting, the child is puzzled.
Prelutsky uses puns and word play in many of the poems in this collection. One good example is “I Hide My Dromedary:”
I hide my dromedary
inside of our garage,
my parents don't suspect it's there...
it's wearing camel-flage.
Some of the most interesting poems in the collection make unusual use of the arrangement of words on the page. “I Am Your Mirror Image” is written backwards so that the easiest way to read it is by holding the book up to a mirror. In “Reverso Is Name My” the words are not a mirror image, but the lines must be read from right to left in order to make sense. “I Was Walking in a Circle” is a never-ending poem that encourages the reader to turn the book in a circle to read the poem.
James Stevenson's illustrations add to the fun of the book. The cartoon-like drawings show what is happening in the poems. The faces of the people and animals shown are very expressive and show their reactions to the sometimes silly situations.
Whether read a few at a time or all at once, the poems in A Pizza the Size of the Sun are fun and entertaining.
4. Review Excerpts
Booklist: “…another magical anthology of light verse....The verse finds perfect visual expression in Stevenson’s witty ink drawings touched with gray wash. A delightful addition to poetry collections that will not stay on the shelf for long.” (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1996) — Carolyn Phelan
Publisher’s Weekly: “Prelutsky's predilection for playfulness percolates throughout this collection of slyly subversive rhymes, and he couldn't ask for a better partner in crime than Stevenson, whose droll, minimalist sketches so enlivened the duo's previous escapades The pages are peppered with kinetic black-and-white drawings; like Thurber, Stevenson wrings a wealth of humor and emotion out of a few dashes of ink. If a laugh is what's needed, just hand over the keys and let these two drive.”
School Library Journal: “Perfect for reading aloud or alone, it will be reached for again and again by teachers, parents, kids, librarians, and anyone else who likes poems that make them chuckle. As a matter of fact, this book should be required reading for those out there who claim they don't like poetry. If you can only afford one poetry collection this year, make it this one.” — Carrie Schadle
Bookpage.com: (also quoted on the back cover of the book) “Here is another wondrously rich, varied, clever -- and always funny -- collection. Meet Miss Misinformation, Swami Gourami, and Gladiola Gloppe (and her Soup Shoppe), and delight in a backwards poem, a poem that never ends, and scores of others that will be chanted, read, and loved by readers of every age. The Prelutsky-Stevenson duo is irresistible. Whether you begin at the beginning or just open the book at random, you won't stop smiling.”
5. Connections
Jack Prelutsky’s website ( http://www.jackprelutsky.com/ ) has a wealth of ideas for classroom and home activities based on his poems. Some of the ideas include making a paper or cloth quilt out of favorite poems, setting poems to music, putting on plays based on poems, and having a Jack Prelutsky poetry contest with themes like silly people, strange animals or imaginary creatures. The website also features children’s letters to Prelutsky and their portraits of him.
Other books by Jack Prelutsky:
The New Kid on the Block. ISBN 978-0-688-02271-6
Something Big Has Been Here .ISBN 978-0-688-06434-1
Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant. ISBN 978-0-060-54317-4
The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders. ISBN 978-0-688-16719-6
In Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden. ISBN 978-0-066-23868-5
It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles. ISBN 978-0-060-29194-5
A Pizza the Size of the Sun is made up completely of poems by a single author, Jack Prelutsky, and illustrated by James Stevenson. Prelutsky’s work is familiar to and loved by most school children because of its humor and the unexpected twist at the end of many of the poems. There are no chapters or divisions within the book. The order of the poems seems to be random, and could probably be rearranged without losing meaning or enjoyment. The book has one index arranged by title and one arranged by first line, which is a very helpful feature since the order is random and the first line and title are different in some of the poems.
One poem in the collection that is universal and timeless is “Hurry Grandma Hurry.” The narrator urges Grandma to watch while he engages in childhood antics like swinging from a tree, skating backwards in the street, eating bugs, and climbing ladders. When Grandma reacts in typical grandma fashion by fainting, the child is puzzled.
Prelutsky uses puns and word play in many of the poems in this collection. One good example is “I Hide My Dromedary:”
I hide my dromedary
inside of our garage,
my parents don't suspect it's there...
it's wearing camel-flage.
Some of the most interesting poems in the collection make unusual use of the arrangement of words on the page. “I Am Your Mirror Image” is written backwards so that the easiest way to read it is by holding the book up to a mirror. In “Reverso Is Name My” the words are not a mirror image, but the lines must be read from right to left in order to make sense. “I Was Walking in a Circle” is a never-ending poem that encourages the reader to turn the book in a circle to read the poem.
James Stevenson's illustrations add to the fun of the book. The cartoon-like drawings show what is happening in the poems. The faces of the people and animals shown are very expressive and show their reactions to the sometimes silly situations.
Whether read a few at a time or all at once, the poems in A Pizza the Size of the Sun are fun and entertaining.
4. Review Excerpts
Booklist: “…another magical anthology of light verse....The verse finds perfect visual expression in Stevenson’s witty ink drawings touched with gray wash. A delightful addition to poetry collections that will not stay on the shelf for long.” (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1996) — Carolyn Phelan
Publisher’s Weekly: “Prelutsky's predilection for playfulness percolates throughout this collection of slyly subversive rhymes, and he couldn't ask for a better partner in crime than Stevenson, whose droll, minimalist sketches so enlivened the duo's previous escapades The pages are peppered with kinetic black-and-white drawings; like Thurber, Stevenson wrings a wealth of humor and emotion out of a few dashes of ink. If a laugh is what's needed, just hand over the keys and let these two drive.”
School Library Journal: “Perfect for reading aloud or alone, it will be reached for again and again by teachers, parents, kids, librarians, and anyone else who likes poems that make them chuckle. As a matter of fact, this book should be required reading for those out there who claim they don't like poetry. If you can only afford one poetry collection this year, make it this one.” — Carrie Schadle
Bookpage.com: (also quoted on the back cover of the book) “Here is another wondrously rich, varied, clever -- and always funny -- collection. Meet Miss Misinformation, Swami Gourami, and Gladiola Gloppe (and her Soup Shoppe), and delight in a backwards poem, a poem that never ends, and scores of others that will be chanted, read, and loved by readers of every age. The Prelutsky-Stevenson duo is irresistible. Whether you begin at the beginning or just open the book at random, you won't stop smiling.”
5. Connections
Jack Prelutsky’s website ( http://www.jackprelutsky.com/ ) has a wealth of ideas for classroom and home activities based on his poems. Some of the ideas include making a paper or cloth quilt out of favorite poems, setting poems to music, putting on plays based on poems, and having a Jack Prelutsky poetry contest with themes like silly people, strange animals or imaginary creatures. The website also features children’s letters to Prelutsky and their portraits of him.
Other books by Jack Prelutsky:
The New Kid on the Block. ISBN 978-0-688-02271-6
Something Big Has Been Here .ISBN 978-0-688-06434-1
Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant. ISBN 978-0-060-54317-4
The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders. ISBN 978-0-688-16719-6
In Aunt Giraffe’s Green Garden. ISBN 978-0-066-23868-5
It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles. ISBN 978-0-060-29194-5
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