Read a Rhyme, Write a Rhyme

When Jack Prelutksy posted the first couplet of a funny poem on a Web site and invited children to finish it, he expected about 100 responses. He got thousands. Now he has come up with an anthology of poems on 10 popular subjects by well-known poets and combined it with his own “poemstarts.” Included with each poemstart are suggestions for various ways the reader might continue the poem. With large type and a big red stop sign, it is made abundantly clear that the reader get a pencil and paper to complete the poem. Jack Prelutsky has been credited with making poetry fun for children to read. Now he is making poetry fun for children to write!

Jack Prelutsky is America’s #1children’s poet with books such as The New Kid on the Block and If Not for the Cat, favorites of both kids and their teachers. His anthologies of poetry also reflect his deep understanding of what children like and feel. He lives in Mercer Island, Washington.

Meilo So has illustrated many award-winning picture books and collections of poetry, including Jack Prelutsky’s bestselling anthology The 20th-Century Children’s Poetry Treasury. She lives in the Shetland Islands, Scotland.