The Jack Prelutsky Holiday Audio Collection

Jack Prelutsky's holiday poems are perfect for young listeners who have moved on from nursery rhymes; they are short, simple, and delightfully silly. However, Prelutsky works so hard to enunciate and speak softly that his voice comes across as overly modulated, a quality that takes away from the silliness. Although he varies inflection, his performance sounds lacking in emotion, and not much fun; yet his occasional secondary voices, such as the goblin for Halloween, are excellent. He reads at a pleasant pace, allowing those with the book to follow along but fast enough for those just listening. This CD is best for transitional readers, whose attention is equally divided between recognizing the words and enjoying the performance. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

December 1, 2005
K-Gr 5 -Jack Prelutsky's series of four holiday-themed beginning readers -"It's Halloween" (Greenwillow, 1977), "It's Thanksgiving" (Greenwillow, 1982), "It's Christmas" (Greenwillow, 1981), and "It's Valentine's Day" (Greenwillow, 1981) -are given new life in this presentation. The four titles are now available in paperback, reprinted by HarperTrophy. Light guitar music between books sets the tone for each collection of poetry. Prelutsky quietly reads the 54 poems in a rich, deep voice that enhances the text. He exhibits a range of emotions, from fearful in -Countdown - to skipping along in -Skeleton Parade - to mournful in -I Went Hungry on Thanksgiving - to excited during -A Sled for Christmas - to horrified in -Oh No! - What a treat to hear this poet giving life to his poems. An excellent addition to collections of recorded poetry for libraries of all sizes. -"Stephanie Bange, Wilmington-Stroop Branch, Dayton Metro Library, OH"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.