Book cover of Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant: And Other Poems

Book description

Jack Prelutsky has written a series of truly inventive and entertaining poems that are perfectly paired with Carin Berger’s witty collage pieces. It’s a beautiful picture book with a look and feel unlike any of Prelutsky’s prior work.

So put on your pith helmet and prepare to explore a wilderness…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

As an example of just how inventive poetry can be, this book is hard to top. The subject of each poem is a fictitious animal created by combining two dissimilar words that share common sounds. For example, umbrella + elephant = umbrellaphant. The rhythm in Prelutsky’s poems is always smooth, making them fun to read out loud. This book makes me want to drop everything and play with words, which for me is the essence of poetry. Here’s an excerpt from "The Ballpoint Penguins":

The Ballpoint Penguins do not think,
they simply write with endless ink.
They write of ice,…

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