Stardines Swim High across the Sky: And Other Poems

The poet, author, and indomitable naturalist Jack Prelutsky, having returned safely from far-flung places with an extensive collection of unique creatures that are a blending of the animate and inanimate, has worked in close collaboration with the fine artist Carin Berger, who herself conducted considerable field operations in preparing Mr. Prelutsky's specimens for exhibition and publication. While many creatures (two dozen species in all) were discovered and recorded and their precise qualities examined, we are presenting sixteen here for the first time and for the enjoyment and education of the general public.

"In a similar vein to his Scranimals (2002), Prelutsky presents hybrid creatures with attributes produced by altering or adding a single letter in their names: 'The gloose may be the weirdest bird/ That ever took to wing./ It has an odd propensity/ To stick to anything.' A sobcat 'spends its time crying/ Continuously,' while 'Jollyfish are radiant/ Ebullient blobs of mirth.' Prelutsky's fake-pompous verse is as clever as ever, and Berger's artwork is its visual equivalent. She creates spectacular three-dimensional papercraft boxes and collages in the manner of Joseph Cornell, labeling the wooden frames with old-fashioned, typewritten stickers. The glooses' tiny feathers are cut carefully from paper, while magpipes are assembled from engraved images of plucked poultry and brass piping; streamers of paper emblazoned with musical notes curl from the pipes — a witty representation of sound. The poems are typewritten on scraps of paper and mounted with butterfly pins. The whole has the feel of a vintage science project by the weirdest (and most imaginative) kid in class. The zoology may be suspect, but the laughs are guaranteed. Ages 4 – 8. Illustrator's agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Jack Prelutsky was the nation's first Children's Poet Laureate. He has filled more than fifty books of verse with his inventive wordplay, including the national bestsellers Scranimals and The New Kid on the Block. In a starred review, School Library Journal called Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, also illustrated by Carin Berger, a "do-not-miss poetry pick." Jack Prelutsky lives in Washington State.

Carin Berger is an award-winning designer, artist, and creator of such picture books as The Little Yellow Leaf and A Perfect Day, among others. She assembled the dioramas, shadow boxes, and cut-paper collages in this book from ephemera — catalogs, old books, receipts, letters,and ticket stubs — as well as cigar boxes. Carin Berger lives in New York City.