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Review by John Zeaman
Poet Jack Prelutsky grew up in the Bronx -- a far piece from Mercer Island, Washington, where he now lives. But as a youngster he lived near the Bronx Zoo and there his lifelong love of animals was nurtured. In his latest anthology, "The Beauty of the Beast: Poems from the Animal Kingdom," he has selected more than 200 poems from far and wide and organized them just as a zookeeper would into groups of insects, fish, snakes and amphibians, birds and animals.
From ant to whale, young readers will be entranced by the words of many poets including Elizabeth Coatsworth, Randall Jarrell, Aileen Fisher, Margaret Wise Brown and Ted Hughes. Prelutsky has also included brief poems from authors who are usually considered "adult poets," such as John Ciardi, Conrad Aiken and D.H. Lawrence. The poems themselves run the gamut in length and style, from two to 20 lines, free verse and rhymed.
In addition to Prelutsky's great selection and careful organization, the wonderful watercolors of Meilo So make "The Beauty of the Beast" an outstanding collection. Bumblebees, bats, puppies, cats, birds and fish of all sorts and sizes cavort in full color among the poems. The subject of each page is depicted in interesting postures and varying sizes; yet the illustrations never intrude on the poems.
Of course, the prankster Prelutsky has included a few of his own intriguing poems (e.g., "The Multilingual Mynah Bird") as well as original haiku for the opening page of each section.
Poetry is making a real comeback, and kids seem to read, even memorize (can you believe it?), more verse these days. With treasure stores like "The Beauty of the Beast," it's no wonder.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.
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