Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems

by Jack Prelutsky, Carin Berger (Illustrator)

What do you get when you cross . . .
A toaster with a toad?
A tuba with a baboon?
A clock with an octopus?
A hat with a chicken?
An umbrella with an elephant?

Why . . .
A Pop-up Toadster
A Tubaboon
The Clocktopus
A Hatchicken
and . . .
The Bold Umbrellaphant

And what do you get when you cross this book with a kid?

Why . . .
The Happy Kibook!

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Fantasy, Humor, Animals, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

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

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Prelutsky - whose many collections of poetry for young people include A Pizza the Size of the Sun and The New Kid on the Block - delivers seventeen new poems in this lovely picture-book, each one featuring a very unusual creature. Whether it is the titular umbrellaphant - a pachyderm with an umbrella growing from the end of his trunk - or the ever-timely clocktopus, these animal-object combinations are a hoot! Prelutsky's poems are well crafted - full of fun, and with an engaging rhythm - making Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant an excellent selection for reading aloud:

"The Ballpoint Penguins, black and white,
Do little else but write and write.
Although they've nothing much to say,
They write and write it anyway."

Just as engaging is Carin Berger's gorgeous collage artwork, with its use of fabrics, Victorian-looking cutouts, and handmade papers. The umbrellaphant is partially composed of paper with what looks like Hindi printing on it (something in the Devanāgarī alphabet, anyway), while the Lynx of Chain has a torso made up of (yes) a cut-out image of a chain. After loving Berger's artwork in book:The Little Yellow Leaf|3367827], I am delighted to discover more of it, especially as it paired with such a fun text! Thanks for pointing me toward this one, Kathryn - it's a winner!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This might be my first stab at reading poetry to the children. Certainly I've not tried it more than two or three times. My niece and nephew don't seem to really dig rhyming text, so I really wasn't sure how they were going to feel about this book of (rhyming) poems. But in the end I decided, "Heck with it. I'm going to ram culture down their throats, like it or not."

Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant is a unique book. The concept behind each of the poems is, what would you have if you combined an animal with an object? The results are intriguing (and enhanced by the creative illustrations), and I think that they inspire children's imaginations. I could definitely see teachers using this idea with their students, encouraging them to think outside the box and to write a poem to accompany their creature.

Now. The poetry. You know, some of the poems were very good (we especially enjoyed "The Solitary Spatuloon," "Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant," "The Ballpoint Penguins," and "The Pop-up Toadsters"), but others were a little awkward somehow. Sometimes it was that the text didn't quite flow well, and other times it was that the kids were puzzled by a creature. (Shoehornets? That only works if you know what a shoehorn is. A Lynx of Chain? That only meshes if you know that chains are made up of links). Still, for the most part, both kids, particularly my niece, liked this book. She said, "I really liked that one a lot! It's very creative," and my nephew said, "I like the pictures! Some of those are so funny!" So I'm glad that my attempt to give the children some culture through poetry was a success!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this five stars in honor of my childhood self--I'm sure little Katie would have LOVED this book! :-D Grown-up me thinks it's pretty darn great, too. It has fun poems, creative words, and intriguing-and-zany illustrations and, best of all, a fascinating concept.

The Bold Umbrellaphant (as you can see from the cover, this guy has an umbrella coming out of his trunk!) is joined by
A Pop-up Toadster
A Tubaboon
The Clocktopus
A Hatchicken
among others.
(Come on, these are SO much fun!!! ;-p )

Best of all, the collage illustrations incorporate "real" objects so it looks like there are actually toasters with legs, hats with chicken legs, a "Lynx" made with links-of-chain. I think kids will have lots of fun with the imagination involved here, and with hunting for the objects in the illustrations.

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstandingly clever artwork and a twist on words.

[J-Lynn Van Pelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of poems that combine an inanimate object with an animal—like a clocktopus, shoehornets, or a panthermometer.

They are fun and goofy poems that have strong rhyme that could be used for quick read alouds for younger students. But, could also be used as an idea starter for a creative writing assignment for older readers where they combine things of their own choice to create a poem. It might also be a good abstract introduction to the concept of similes and metaphors where two unlike things are compared.

The illustrations are textured, mixed media collage.

[Becky Loader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't wait to read this book with a child! I used to fantasize what would happen if you crossed a rabbit with a kangaroo: a rabbaroo, of course. I think Jack Prelutsky must have shared some of my childhood thoughts.

Contagious poems that just beg to be read outloud! Do it!!

Oh, and I want a Bold Umbrellaphant.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behold the bold Umbrellaphant and all his friends with this amazing book of poems. You can see in your mind.. an elephant with an umbrella for a trunk. This book is full of wonderous life and creatures some have never seen before.Behold the bold Umbrellaphant...and read this book.

[Marilyn Showalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry
All ages reading level
I really enjoyed this book because it was interesting to see how the author used the names of animals and connected it with an object. I like the rhyming in these poems, and the illustrations were excellently drawn. It would be a good read a loud for any grade if you are teaching on poetry. For the older grades I could have them construct a poem like one in the book based on an animal and object, and for the younger grades these single poems might be a good class starter everyday.

[Chancela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are unlike anything I've seen before. They were truly captivating. The poems were very clever, even tying factual information in to the particular "animal" the poem was talking about. The pictures did the same thing. This would be fun to read with any elementary grade, maybe even middle school when students are writing poetry. There are many art activities, writing activities, and other things you could do after reading this.

[Blake Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun book with really fun pictures. It is essentially a book of poems that take animals and mix their names with everyday objects. Umbrellaphant, panthermometor, and alarmadillos to name a few. They are all super clever and have equally as clever poems to go along with them. I would definitely recommend this book as it is fun and also teaches a lot of rhyming and animals. I would use this book as a beginning of an animal or nature unit.

[Constance Cosmas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This playful picture book of poetry engages fantasy-loving readers by giving life to animals that are mixed (literally) with everyday items. For example, the “pop-up toadsters” (frogs crossed with toasters), or my personal favorite “the tearful zipperpotamuses” which are none other than a hippopotamus crossed with a zipper. Each poem is unique. Their styles vary (free verse, rhyming, limericks, etc.) as does their form on the page. Due to the creative nature of these animal hybrids, rarely does one page look similar to another. The illustrations appear to be part pencil drawn and part collage with some computer generated images overlaying others. Since each animal is crossed with an inanimate thing, students (grades 1-3) could discuss the various examples of personification present.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jack Prelutsky and this book lives up to that! These animal/object smashups are smart, funny, and wonderfully illustrated. Berry loved the Alarmadillos and the Clocktopus. She said "clock" for the first time while we were reading!

[Emily Rella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This poetry book has a quirky way with language. The author takes objects and combines them with animals such as umbrellaphant or clocktopus. I thought the new use of words was fun, and made for a good read. This book is definitely a great way to access engagement among any early or developed readers.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry
4th-5th grade
I found this poetry book really fun! I loved the rhyme it used and how it flowed so easily with the comparison of the animal with the daily object. For example, the umbrellaphant was a fun, made-up animal with a poem about the elephants trunk being an umbrella. I think this poetry book encourages imagination and I really enjoyed that!

[Abigail Monte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because its straight up unique. Its a poem/book where the author just smashes random words together and the illustration is just as unique as the concept. After I read this to my students, we did a writing activity where they got to make up words of their own, and they loved it! I will read this to my students in the future for sure.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great poems about umbrellaphants, alarmadillos and other such fantastic creatures. I think the vocabulary and puns are over the head of my 2-year-old, but I really like it and I'm sure she will when she's older. The illustrations use collage effects in interesting ways with cut-out paper with text on it, etc.

[Emily Sefcheck · Rating 4 out of 5]

3rd-6th grade
Genre: Poetry

This fun poetry book takes personification to a whole different level. The everyday things that this author uses to make poetry is fun and entertaining to upper elementary students. This is a great poetry resource.

[Tirzah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun Jack Prelustky read. The students cracked up at the absurd names and illustrations. I couldn't get to all the poems, but the ones we read were "Clocktopus" and "Hopping Toadsters." The vocabulary in "Clocktopus" is great.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry
K-3rd grade
This book was so much fun because of how creative the author was in coming up with the creatures. The poems have lots of vocabulary included and give a nice description of each animal. I think kids would love the silly creatures that are in this book.

[Marissa is cool · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very reminiscent of all the books I grew up reading. I loved the rhythm and the occasional rhyme. This book focused on combining two unalike things to create a fun new animal. They also expressed this aspect by using collages as the illustrations, which were beautifully done.

[Relyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

My students always enjoy this book when I teach the poetry unit.

[Cecile · Rating 3 out of 5]

My child thought this was hilarious! I was quite perturbed by it. We read two-thirds and I abandoned it.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly written wordplay poems in this poetry collection book. Highly recommend to older students in elementary school who love puns and wordplay.

[Alyssa]

Clever artwork and poems!!

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so imaginative and creative! It also has beautiful collages which accompany each poem. Definitely a book to reread and enjoy again and again.

[Jessica Geist · Rating 5 out of 5]

In both imagination and illustrations, this book is a rich feast. We're putting it back on our shelves to be read again.

[Mackenzie Navarrete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Date: 10/10/23
Genre: Poetry
Level: K-2nd
Review: Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant was such a funny read full of creativity. The whole book stems from the title. For example, an umbrellaphant is an umbrella and an elephant. Throughout the book, the author combines things together just like umbrellaphant. Doing so makes it an interesting read for students but also a fun read. Great bedtime story!

[Emily Dougherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

o Grades K-2
o Poetry
o This book that is filled with easy comprehensive poems that are sweet and made me smile when I read them. They are great to help spark imagine

[Cassidy Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was such a cute poetry book. I loved all the poems and how the author combined normal household objects with different animals. It was very creative and would be a great poetry book to use in a classroom because students could make up their own poems about made up creatures. Poetry.

[Bix · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit that, based on this audio selection, I'm not a huge Prelutsky fan. While I can see how the rhymes might be fun to read aloud to small children, these selections tend to sound a bit repetitive, particularly when Prelutsky states the title of the poem, reads the poem, and then sings the same poem. A little bit of this goes a long way for me. Kids ages 7 to 10 will very likely enjoy this more than I did."

SPL Summary: "A collection of humorous poems from three of Jack Prelutsky's books: Behold the bold umprellaphant, Scranimals, and What a day it was at school."

SLJ: "Gr 2–6. Jack Prelutsky brings his collection of poetry to life in this recording. The real treat, though, is Prelutsky simply but dramatically singing his words, in addition to reading the text. The premise of the verse lies in combining an animal and an inanimate object... Kids will appreciate the raw silliness of the verse, as well as the exercise in imagination required to envision such characters... Be sure to have the title book available so that listeners can also look at Carrie Berger's photo cut-paper collage illustrations that are a visual treat. Teachers may want to use this title as a springboard for their classes' own inventions. Perfect for leisure listening as well as poetry and word study units."

PW (Starred Review): Prelutsky fans are in for a treat with this collection that combines his latest book of poetry with two other favorite anthologies (Scranimals; What a Day It Was at School!) and features several original songs. Each poem spotlights an animal that shares characteristics of some inanimate object (i.e., the title character is an elephant with an umbrella for a trunk)... His troubadour-like folk-style songs and musicianship on acoustic guitar are an entertaining bonus. Ages 4-up."