For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone

by Jack Prelutsky (Compiler), Marjorie Priceman (Illustrator)

Illus. in full color. "These nonsense verses combine the domestic and the gross, deadpan and slapstick, with a lilting rhythm and satisfying rhyme. The poets are well-known contemporaries including Prelutsky, Silverstein, Kuskin, Lobel, Viorst, and many more. The design is ebullient. Start or end story hour with these verses, and kids will know reading's a pleasure."--(starred) Booklist.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Humor

96 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 1991

About the author

Jack Prelutsky is an American poet. He attended New York public schools, and later the High School of Music and Art and Hunter College. Prelutsky, who has also worked as a busboy, furniture mover, folk singer, and cab driver, claims that he hated poetry in grade school because of the way it was taught. He is the author of more than 30 poetry collections including Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep< and A Pizza the Size of the Sun. He has also compiled countless children's anthologies comprised of poems of others'. Jack Prelutsky was married to Von Tre Venefue, a woman he had met in France. They divorced in 1995, but Jack remarried. He currently lives in Washington state with his wife, Carolyn. He befriended a gay poet named Espiritu Salamanca in 1997 and both now work together in writing poems and stories for children and adults alike.

Reviews

[Areeba books and kids · Rating 3 out of 5]

it wasn't really that funny, it was just ok.

[Child960801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

We enjoyed this collection of poetry for children. The illustrations were colourful and whimsical and the poems were light hearted and funny. We all enjoyed these.

[Pashmina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice mix of poets. From Edward Gorey to Shel Silverstein!

[Ashlyn Littlefield · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was FULL of funny and silly poems. I enjoyed being able to pick which poems to read that looked appealing to me. This would be cute to read to kids learning about poems in a humorous way!

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book filled with many poems. I like how the poems are funny and make you laugh and smile. There are 132 poems in this book.

[Sonnets in Samtopia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some are a bit dark-sided.

[Sass · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too violent.

[Brittney Cayford]

This poetry book is great for laughs! The poems are hilarious and are relevant to all viewers. The themes and topics in all poems can interest all children.

[frimptes · Rating 4 out of 5]

while many of these pieces are really quite funny, the real star is Marjorie Priceman’s fantastic illustration throughout

[The Transmuted Tree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read on 3/1

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way funny book!! I really liked most of the poems. My favorite was called "Me." Mostly about a girl and she's describing herself but in a funny way. Another of my favorite was called" Monday's Child is Red and Spotty." It's about children of parents who have name of the week. Poems are made by Dorothy Aldis, Michael Baldwin, J.J. Bell, Carey Blyton, N. M. Bodecker, Gelett Gurgess, John Ciardi, William Cole, Walter de la Mare, Marion Edey, William E. Engel, Max Fatchen, Michael Flanders, John Gardner, John Goldthwaite, Edward Gorey, Harry Graham, Arthur Guiterman, Robert Heidbreder, Mary Ann Hoberman, Julie Holder, Lucia and James L. Jr. Hymes, Bobbi Katz, X.J. Kennedy, Karla Kustin, Dennis Lee, J.A. Lindon, Myra Cohn, Arnold Lobel, Mildred Luton, Mary Macdonald, Doug MacLeod, Sol Mandlsohn, Colin McNaughton, Hughes Mearns, Eve Merriam, Spike Milligram, Lilian Moore, Ogden Nash, Barry Louis Polisar, Jack Prelustky, Ellen Raskin, Laura E. Richards, Michael Rosen, Susan Alton Schmetlz, Shel Silverstein, Lois Simmie, William Jay Smith, Arnold Spilka, Judith Viorst, George Wallace, Peter Wesley-Smith, Colin West, Kit Wright, and last but not least Jane Yolen. Plus Anonymous!! I recommend this book for anyone who likes funny poems because there are lots of them in this hilarious book!

[Stephanie Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Laughing Out Loud, a collection of poems selected by the famous children’s poet, Jack Prelutsky, is a truly laugh out loud book. Prelutsky has collected funny poems that span a range of hilarious topics, from a pancake collector to a sick dodo, to two ghosts who switch heads and having a booing contest.

One feature of this book that I love is that it is a collection of poems by many different poets. I believe exposing students to many different poets and their unique and individual styles is a wonderful thing. It shows students that poetry is a personal form of writing and there is no “right way” or “wrong way.”

The poems in this book are so short and sweet that it would be easy to keep this book somewhere close and read a few whenever there are moments to spare in a classroom (this book could be adapted for use in grades k-5). Also, a fun activity to pair with this book would be to use it as a model to make a collection of poems from students in a classroom, or even a grade level. Students love to see their work typed out; it gives them such a sense of accomplishment!

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books contains a collection of 132 humorous poems by various writers including Odgen Nosh, Karla Kuskin, Ellen Raskin, Arnold Lobel, John Ciardi, Myra Cohn Livingston, Eve Mariam, Lillian Moore, X.J. Kennedy, Judith Viorst, and Jack Prelutsky himself. The poems cover such topics as animals, food, school, different people, tricks, and anything else that could make you laugh.

I truly enjoyed flipping through this collection – the poems really do make you laugh out loud! My students enjoyed them, and even my husband was laughing when he picked up the book. My favorite one was ‘I Love to Do My Homework’ with the ending lines “I even love the men in white/Who are taking me away” that had me laughing so much my students had to wait so I could explain it to them! The types of poems are very diverse which is nice. And the colorful watercolor illustrations are a perfect addition. It was also nice to see some familiar poems by anonymous authors, like Happy Birthday to You.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prelutsky, Jack; Pricemen, Marjorie, For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle Your Funnybone, Alfred A. Knopf, 1991, children’s poetry, age: 4 – 9, lexile: n/a, rating: 4



This is a collection of 132 poems selected by Jack Prelutsky, written by a variety of authors, ranging from animals, food, and family. The poems each have humor and will be relatable to children and the experiences they are going through.


I rate this 4. After reading Bills Martin Jr’s collection of poems and seeing how it’s laid out, I have higher expectations for books. In Bill’s book, I like how the poems are in categories, compared to this book not having structure of categories. In addition, the illustrations are excellent, but they are all from one illustrator, and I like how Bill’s book has a different illustrator on every page. Overall though, this collection of poems is funny in nature and children will love them, as well as the illustrations.

[Saskia Marijke Niehorster · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of humorous poems, some better than others, by different poets. Mr. Prelutsky's are some of the better ones as well as well as the Shel Silverstein and the Jane Yolen ones.

Some have good bones and when I read this with my son Sasha on Christmas morn we agreed that it would be fun to do our own variations on them.

The Garbage Delight had a fun rhythm to it. I have been working on two poems of my own one about recycling garbage and the other one about kitchen gadgets that have only one purpose and this poem here has a combination of both themes, so it was fun to read. The ice cream on Spaghetti trees was also funny! Same with Tiny Tony in his Pony!

[Catherine Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the title of this poetry book. It says what it is but also has a second meaning which reflects on all the poems with double-entendres. For crying out loud just read it yourself ;)
Another compilation put together by Jack Prelutsky, this one leans towards nursery rhymes and is chock full of delicious poetry, most of it in rhyme.

Some very famous writers are here within the pages
If I sit down with cup of tea I shall be here for ages

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Laughing Out Loud: Poems to Tickle your Funny Bone by Jack Prelutcky was very good. It was just poems. But not only poems - they were hilarious! Well I wouldn't say that for all of them because it seemed like some of them were trying to be funny but they weren't. Honestly I don't usually have a favorite poem in a book just like in this one. I would recomend this book to people who like or sort of like poetry and like laughing out loud while reading!

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I teach second grade, funny poems are essential. Jack Prelutsky edited this anthology, which includes work by noted children's poets (Karla Kuskin, Judith VIorst,John Ciardi, X.J. Kennedy, etc.).

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

One hilarious poem after another. My personal favorite is the last one, by Dorothy Aldis, Bursting

We've laughted until my cheeks are tight,
We've laughed until my stomach's sore
If we could only stop we might
Remember what we're laughing for!.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have learned to love poetry from reading children's poetry as an adult. I now enjoy all kinds of poetry. This is a special favorite at our house.

[Devin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rattlesnake Meat

Loved it. It was so funny.

[Nicole Fellows · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The poems were really funny. The poem "Be Glad Your Nose Is on Your Face" just made me laugh. I would love to have this book in my classroom someday.

[Emily Wariner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the poems in this book would be enjoyable for kids although there are still a few poems that would be humorous for adults as well.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought there were a couple funny poems in this book. This book had different poems in it . Ones about the ocean, animals, pancakes all sorts of poems. So read this book!

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read poems for children...and Jack Prelutsky is a favorite.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lesser known collection featuring poems by Prelutsky and other impressive poets, including the infamous "anonymous", each of which elicits smiles and laughs.

[Sarah Romero · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're at the library, and the little guy made a special request for this fun book of poems! He loves "The Bluffalo"... It literally gets him laughing out loud.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite poetry collections, especially for reading aloud to kids. Hilarious little poems of all sorts that I literally snorted and laughed myself to tears over as a child.

[Antonio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent for a laugh or maybe more!