1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Prelutsky, Jack. 2002. THE FROGS WORE RED SUSPENDERS. Ill. by Petra Mathers. Greenwillow Books. New York, New York: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 0688167195
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Jack Prelutsky’s twenty-eight modern classic poems are nonsensical. These poems are centered around a geographical theme, which covers Canada and fifteen states. For example, there are poems about people and animals, set in such places as South Dakota, Atlanta, Minot, Indianapolis, Kentucky, Minneapolis, Tuscaloosa, Tucumcari, and the Grand Canyon.”
Children will delight in the Poem entitled “Peanut Peg and Peanut Pete.” This is a very catchy poem filled with rhyme and rhythm. For example, “Peanut cookies, peanut cakes, peanut butter shakes, peanut ices, peanut pies, peanut sauce, and peanut fries!”
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jack Prelutsky’s collection of poetry is entertaining and fun, especially when read aloud. His writing is in the traditional poetic form. He utilizes word play, alliteration, and puns. Prelutsky achieves humor through strong word play. For instance, the poem “Sarah Small” is rich in internal rhyme and a nonsense theme. “Near pajamas, row on row, multicolored sweaters grow. Neckties flutter in the breeze underneath the mitten trees.” Further, in the poem “Barnaby Boone” Prelutsky’s utilization of unpredictable rhymes appeal to readers of all ages. For example, “He drifted up north, and he drifted out east, until he had finished the last of his feast. He ran out of food, so he came back to earth, landing his yellow balloon in Fort Worth.”
Petra Mathers’ illustrations are in watercolors. Mathers’ use of watercolors communicates subtle thematic tone in each poem. Moreover, each drawing is entertaining, humorous, and compelling images that connect perfectly with the poems. Readers are thrilled with the subplots in many of the illustrations. Petra Mathers illustrations accurately complement Jack Prelutsky’s poetry.
My students love the illustrations in this poetry book. They especially enjoy the drawings of “Baby in a High Chair” and “One Old Owl.” Many of my students were drawing the baby boy and the owl over and over again in their journals. This is an excellent poetry book.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Prechool-Grade 3- -The prolific poet is back with an illustrator who matches him in freshness and simplicity. The poems offer vivid glimpses of life; have a beginning, middle, and end; and have a clear underlying music and flow. The selections are for slightly younger audience than much of Prelutsky’s work: Some poems are as simple as MOTHER GOOSE RHYMES (“Baby in a high chair,/baby in a bib,/baby in a stroller,/baby in a crib”), while others would make great flannelboard rhymes for sharing with four-and five-year-olds (“In her garden, Sarah Small/grows galoshes, short and tall./Shirts of yellow, hats of red/beautify her flower bed”) Many of the 28 poems play with American place names, from Tuscaloosa to Tucumcari, and might enliven a geography lesson. Mathers’s wonderful watercolors highlight her talents for color and expression. Her treatment of light is lovely, especially in her delicate and exquisite skies, while the comic dignity of some of her creatures, such as the frogs in red suspenders, suits Prelutsky’s mood just right. A superb choice.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:”In these 28 poems that alight everywhere from Tuscaloosa to El Paso, Winnemucca to the Grand Canyon, ‘the rhymes flow easily, set to a consistently bouncy beat that makes reading them aloud effortless,’ wrote PW. ‘The watercolors exude a puckish charm well matched to the nimble word play.’”
PARENT’S CHOICE: “The prolific and talented Jack Prelutsky offers yet another collection of newly-minted nonsense verse. There’s a fresh wrinkle in this volume: Exotic place names of various cities and towns across the nation-Minneapolis, Winnemucca and El Paso, to name a few-figure in the rhymes. The title verse is one of the exception, as is this reviewer’s favorite, There was a Tiny Baker (“Who had a tiny shop / he baked a tiny cook / with frosting on the top.” Etc.) Petra Mather’s bright and cheery watercolor illustrations are a decided asset to an uneven but enjoyable work.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*In the art center, students will create a frog puppet wearing red suspenders. After creating their puppets, students are to share their puppets with the class, as the teacher reads “The Frog Wore Red Suspenders.”
*Allow students to choose their favorite illustration from the book. Using watercolors, students are to draw and paint their favorite illustration. Display students work on the wall.
*Allow Students to read aloud “Granny Gooding.” After reading aloud the poem, students are to illustrate the poem in their journals.
*Other books by Jack Prelutsky include:
Prelutsky, Jack. THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK. ISBN 0807202460
Prelutsky, Jack. A PIZZA THE SIZE OF THE SUN. ISBN 1415918007
Prelutsky, Jack. JACK PRELUTSKY”S BIG COLLECTION. ISBN 0807284289
