Jack Prelutsky

Jack Prelutsky is a creator of inventive poems for children and adults alike. He served as the Poetry Foundation’s Children’s Poet Laureate from 2006 to 2008. Prelutsky grew up in the Bronx, and when he was young he studied classical music; though he decided to concentrate on writing instead of pursuing a career as an opera singer, he continues to sing.

In a Scholastic.com interview, when asked where his ideas come from, Prelutsky said, “Everywhere! Everything I see or hear can become a poem. Several toys in my studio have turned into poems. I remember things that happened when I was a kid … Or I write about things I like or don’t like. I love spaghetti and wrote a poem about it.” Fabulous creatures and people inhabit his poems: the umbrellaphant, Uggs, and, in Scranimals (2002), banacondas, broccolions, and “the detested radishark.”

He has written more than 70 children’s books, often working with well-known illustrators such as Garth Williams, Arnold Lobel, and Marilyn Hafner. His poetry books include Stardines Swim High Across the Sky: and Other Poems (2013), The Swamps of Sleethe: Poems From Beyond the Solar System (2009), and Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face And Other Poems (2008). He has also edited collections of poetry for children, including The 20th Century Children’s Poetry Treasury (1999).

Prelutsky lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, Carolyn.