I've Lost My Hippopotamus

by Jack Prelutsky, Jackie Urbanovic

Overview

Some of the animals in this book are real. They include:

• the hippopotamus (she's missing)
• the elephant (he's artistically talented)
• the octopus (it's great at multitasking).

Others may not be quite so real. These include:

• the wiguana (very hairy, for a lizard)
• the halibutterfly (there's something fishy about it)
• the gludu (quite clingy).

In the tradition of Jack Prelutsky's classic poetry collections The New Kid on the Block, It's Raining Pigs & Noodles, and A Pizza the Size of the Sun, here is a book packed with more than 100 funny poems and silly pictures. Most of the poems are about animals—some are big and some are small, some have unusual interests, and some are just plain unusual.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062014573
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/13/2012
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	273,607
Product dimensions:	7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Jack Prelutsky is the best-selling author of more than fifty books of poetry, including The New Kid on the Block, illustrated by James Stevenson, and Stardines Swim High Across the Sky, illustrated by Carin Berger. Jack Prelutsky lives in Washington State.

Jackie Urbanovic is the New York Times best-selling author and illustrator of Duck at the Door, Duck Soup, and Duck and Cover, as well as the illustrator of If You're Hoppy, by April Pulley Sayre. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Editorial Reviews

Anything is possible in Prelutsky’s universe of more than 100 silly, rhyming poems that poke holes in the serious facade of the adult world. A snake performs arithmetic, a boy is puzzled by the rainstorm in his bedroom (“So I’m getting soaking wet./ This is an odd phenomenon/ I will not soon forget”), and a thirsty centipede drinks too much water (“And so the centipede”). Urbanovic’s blithe pen-and-ink illustrations offer playfully literal interpretations of clever hybrids like a “Spellican” (“a most talented bird/ That’s able to spell/ Any difficult word,” pictured with a craw full of letters) and an “Elephantom,” rising from a gravestone. Another effortlessly fun collection from a master of absurdist verse. Ages 5–10. Illustrator’s agent: Marcia Wernick, Wernick and Pratt Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

With her wildly expressive characters and expertly conveyed physical comedy… this is sure to be a read-aloud hit.

ALA Booklist

Prelutsky is back to make your day better, even if it's already a good one. Here come 103 more poems from the master of silliness; the guy must dream in poetry, his output is so steady and strong. And he is everywhere in the poetic world. He tackles grief--a young gent on the afternoon his hamster died: "It was a poor, unpleasant pet / That I should probably forget. / It never had a proper name… / I miss it deeply, all the same." He introduces a disarmingly honest goblin--"I have an awful odor, / An unattractive voice. / I'm nasty and annoying / By nature and by choice." He effortlessly turns a haiku conundrum: "All evening I sing, / Happy on a lily pad, / Celebrating spring." He hands readers new words, little gems, for them to play with--"easy to abhor" or "Some unsavory subterfuge"--or lets them watch as he turns a world on its head: "…I thought I made an error once-- / But I was just mistaken." Urbanovic's black-and-white artwork displays a comfortably free hand, roving between loose and scrunched as it depicts Prelutsky's vast company of players: Gludus, Wiguanas, Appleopards and Flamingoats. Welcome, heart-gladdening poems that never come amiss. (index) (Poetry. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews

K-Gr 5—This anthology of more than 100 never-before-published poems will delight Prelutsky's many fans. The selections are infused with smart and silly humor that focuses on both commonplace and bizarre occurrences. Young readers will love such fantastical creatures as the "scritchy scratchy scrootches" and the "blumpazump." Heavier topics, such as running away from home, are handled with the poet's signature wry wisdom. There is something for everyone here, and no two pieces are alike—there are shape poems, haiku, and even a poem written on yo-yos. Urbanovic's black-and-white ink cartoons increase the laugh factor and add a touch of whimsy. Impeccable rhyme and snappy rhythm make these poems ideal for reading aloud or to use during a poetry unit. Don't miss this one.—Rita Meade, Brooklyn Public Library, NY

School Library Journal