Jack Prelutsky - Recreations of his Childhood

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Jack Prelutsky - Recreations of his Childhood

Jack Prelutsky grew up in Brooklyn, New York, in 1940. He lived in a fairly underprivileged part of town with his mother and father, who were both big influences on his work. Although he says his parents had a normal sense of humor, Jack’s has far surpassed theirs and Jack now writes wacky poems that delight children and adults of all ages.

He says his sense of humor started early with his uncle Charlie. Charlie was a nightclub comedian and used to tell terrible jokes, a lot of them involving language and puns. Jack started to understand things you could do with language when he was very young, maybe four or five years old. (Prelutsky)

Jack’s poems focus heavily on experiences he’s had throughout his life. He stays very close to his childhood and says he truly remembers what it was like to be a kid. He includes these good and bad experiences in his poetry, really relating with events that happen to today’s youngsters.

He includes himself and others in many of his poems. Jack says if you are a friend or a family ...

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