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Reviewed by:
  • My Dog May Be a Genius
  • Deborah Stevenson
Prelutsky, Jack; My Dog May Be a Genius; illus. by James Stevenson;. Greenwillow, 2008; 160p Library ed. ISBN 978-0-06-623863-0 $19.89 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-623862-3 $18.99 R Gr. 3-6

The venerable comic pairing of Prelutsky and Stevenson returns in this collection of over 100 new poems. Those familiar with The New Kid on the Block (BCCB 10/84) and A Pizza the Size of the Sun (BCCB 9/96) will recognize the format and approach here: big, near-square pages, airy spreads each featuring a vigorous verse or two accompanied by Stevenson's speedy scrawls of spot art. Poems display the laureate's familiar taste for punnery (the skunk who thought the judge had called for "odor in the court") and pattern poems ("I'm Falling through a Funnel"), touches of bathroom humor ("The Zeenaleens are fond of beans . . . ") and sly philosophy (how does the girl "sitting doing nothing" know when she's done?). Plenty of poems offer particular joys for readalouds, whether it be the alliterative yet disgusting menu of "Sandwich Stan" or the stuffed-nose rejoicing of "Sprig Id Here." It's worth having a deep bench of Prelutsky poetry, so you'll want to include this alongside its predecessors. Indices to titles and first lines are appended.

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