The Random House Book of Poetry for Children

"A generous collection with a distinctly upbeat tone, this gives a taste of the best poets writing for children over the last several decades. Lobel's drawings imbue the whole with action and graphic images as inventive as the verse. Successfully geared to meet home, school, and library needs."--(starred) Booklist.

Jack Prelutsky was born in Brooklyn, New York. He attended New York City Public Schools and studied voice at the High School of Music and Art. He enrolled in Hunter College in Manhattan but left soon after "to become a beatnik". Jack has been a cab driver, a busboy, a photographer, a furniture mover, a potter, and a folk singer. He enjoys bicycling, playing racquetball, woodworking and cooking. He lives in Washington State with his wife Carolynn and a vast collection of poetry books and frogs in every shape, size, and form -- except living! There was a time when Jack couldn't stand poetry. In grade school he had a teacher who left him with the impression that poetry was the literary equivalent of liver. He rediscovered poetry in his twenties, and he decided that he would write about things that kids really cared about, and that he would strive to make poetry delightful. He has been writing poetry for more than twenty years and has published more than three dozen books for children.