Module 14: Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky

BOOK SUMMARY: 

Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky provides poetry for children about a place called Scranimal Island, where the animals are a blend of animals and ether another animal/fruit/object such as the Potatoad or the Bananaconda.  The animals are a blend of both descriptors and live in a nonsense island.                

APA REFERENCE OF BOOK: 

Prelutsky, J. (2002).  Scranimals. New York, NY: Greenwillow.

IMPRESSIONS: 

By far, the Broccolions are my favoriate and a fun poem to read because they prey on Antelopetunia.  Prelutsky is able to show children the true descriptors of each animal in a very playful way.  It makes it easier for children to hear that broccolions are preying on the Antelopetunia, especially when trying to explain to children the nature of animals.  This is a very fun book for children of young ages and the images help to to make the imaginative world Prelutsky describes, come to life.  It is clever that the illustrator Peter Sis included a map of Scranimal Island, with an accompanying number of where each animal resides.  An excellent story to engage young readers in poetry.           

PROFESSIONAL REVIEW: 

"Gr. 2–4, younger for reading aloud. Prelutsky and Sís follow previous titles such as The Gargoyle on the Roof (1999) with another beautifully illustrated collection of nonsense verse that celebrates creatures of the imagination who, described in singsong verse, are “sailing to Scranimal Island.” Each spread features a different “scrambled” creature that is often a hybrid of animal and vegetable. There is the “sleek,” snakelike Bananconda; a pride of green Broccolions; and a fierce Radishark, whose enormous, red fishhead comes complete with a radish-root snout. Prelutsky’s language is uneven, and despite the humor and some delicious rhymes, many selections are stilted and slightly forced. It is Sís’ fantastical illustrations that will generate the most excitement. His beasts shine with seemingly irrepressible personalities, and he creates a layered story in the scenes of a boy and girl who travel through the enchanted, slightly prehistoric otherworld. Read this aloud to small groups so that children can crowd up close and take in the jokes and the fantasy in the glorious images" - Gillian Engberg


Reference:

Engberg, G. (2002). [Review of the book Scranimals by Gillian Engberg]. Booklist, 99(2), 237.  

LIBRARY USES: 

This book is a great way to have students branch into various groups where each group conducts a fact sheet on the animals mentioned, comparing their real traits with those in the poems.