Author Jack Prelutsky and illustrator Carin Berger, who previously collaborated on the wonderful Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems, return in this second picture book collection of poems featuring portmanteau creatures. Sixteen delightful poems, full of clever wordplay, and nimbly constructed so as to simply trip off the tongue when read aloud, are paired with enchantingly beautiful multi-media artwork, with many illustrations featuring Joseph Cornell-inspired dioramas. Here we have the eponymous celestial Stardines, the blustery Bluffaloes, the hard-working Chormorants, the loose-lipped Tattlesnakes, and the ineffectual Plandas, among many others. In an amusing jest, given that this is a collection of poems, the book closes with the Bardvarks:

"BARDVARKS think they're poets
And persist in writing rhyme.
Their words are uninspired
And a total waste of time.
But BARDVARKS don't know this,
So not only do they write
With unbearable pretension—
They incessantly recite.

BARDVARKS have no talent
For composing simple verse.
They don't improve with practice
And in fact are getting worse.
Undeterred, they keep on writing
And reciting every day.
That's why BARDVARKS are a problem—
You cant' make them go away."

Fortunately for the reader, Prelutsky's poetry far exceeds the Bardvark's, and his writing makes Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Other Poems an absolute pleasure to read, just as Berger's artwork makes it a joy to peruse. I was particularly struck by the illustrations here, and as a lover of Joseph Cornell's found-object art boxes, was thrilled to see the recognition of his influence, in Berger's dedication to him, at the beginning of the book. This is one I would strongly recommend to young poetry lovers, as well as to fellow admirers of the artist. ( )

Jack Prelutsky, the king of poetic humor, does not dissapoint with the book Stardines. He mashes words together to create silly creatures whose habits don't seem to mesh with our impressions of them. For example, the poem "Slobsters," begins: "Slobsters are slovenly, Slobsters are crude, Slobsters love mashing And smushing their food." The illustrations by Carin Berger need to be recognized as the book wouldn't be the same without them. One side of the spread is the typed poem, "tacked" to the page. On the other side is a shadow box type image with the creature in it. Examples of other poem titles include, "Plandas" (pandas who sit around and plan all day), "Tattlesnake" (rattlesnakes who tattle), and "Panteaters" (they eat pants). It's a laugh out loud book! ( )

A collection of animal poems.

Library Explore Assignment ( )

Author (Last name first): Prelutsky, Jack
Title of the Book: Stardines Swim High Across the Sky: and other poems
Publisher: Greenwillow Books Date of Publication: 2012
ISBN# 978-0-06-201464-1
Price: $17.99 Grade Level: Primary/LowerEl Number of Pages: 35
VOYA Rating: 5Q 4P for Elementary

Highly Recommended

This is a book of poems with imaginary hybrid animals. Each type of animal has a descriptive poem about what it does and beautiful artwork to bring to life the poetry. One of my favorites is the Braindeer. “Braindeer are very clever, braindeer are vary wise. Their brains are wrinkled and of a massive size.” Some other types of animals include the Panteater, Wedgehogs and a Tattlesnake. There is a very scientific feel to the artwork making the reader feel as though they are in a museum.

I would agree with one of the reviewers about the steampunk aesthetic. What a great description of the idea of the poetry and the artwork! The artist uses a combination of paper, artifacts, vintage pieces, beeswax, wire, thread and wood. Once each diorama was created, it was then digitally photographed to prepare it for the book. This is a great book to use with art students learning about Joseph Cornell. His influence on other artists can be discussed. It has a lot of cross-curricular connections between poetry and art. Teachers can ask their students to come up with a made up animal, after reading the book, and then illustrating it with different mediums. Some of the text is quite sophisticated, so it would probably be better for upper-elementary and middle school art students. Actually, high school students would appreciate the visual art aspect of this book. But it would still make a good poetry read-aloud you younger elementary students. They would find many parts funny. I think this book is a great addition to a elementary school library. ( )