A Pizza The Size of The Sun

October 4, 1999
In an inimitable troubadour tour-de-force, poet and performer Prelutsky (The Dragons Are Singing Tonight) serves up toe-tapping renditions of verses from his popular 1996 collection. Prelutsky's pleasantly warbling folksy singing voice nimbly leaps over tongue twisters and all sorts of playful rhymes in ditties like "Dixxer's Excellent Elixir," "Frenetica Fluntz" and "The Fummawummalummazumms." And he's sure to elicit still more giggles when he occasionally raises his voice to a humorously affected falsetto on "Gloppe's Soup Shoppe" and a few other tunes. In between guffaws, young listeners will find lots of topics with surefire appeal: "Bugs! Bugs!" "I Made Something Strange with My Chemistry Set" and "Eyeballs for Sale!" Backed by a strong children's chorus and talented musicians on fiddle, banjo, mandolin and more, Prelutsky seems right at home. (He's the one playing the kazoo.) This often boisterous mix of silliness and song should prove entertaining for the whole family. All ages.

Kid favorite Jack Prelutsky sings his way through two dozen poems from his 1994 collection, spinning raucous rhyming tales about the likes of Zeke McPeake, Dan the Invisible Man, and Gladiola Gloppe (and her Soup Shoppe). Prelutsky is joined by an ensemble of singers and a band of musicians who play banjo, saw and guitar (with the poet himself playing kazoo). This merry gang brings excitement to the mostly up-tempo songs. I can easily imagine kids (and some adults) tapping toes and singing along. Sixty minutes of fun. P.B.J. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine