Beneath a blue umbrella : rhymes / by Jack Prelutsky ; pictures by Garth Williams.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From the puppies in Philadelphia to the piglets in Wichita, west to the Great Salt Lake (where the big green frog lives), and south to the Mardi Gras celebration -- here are poems and pictures for everyone to love. Ride a Purple Pelican confirmed Jack Prelutsky and Garth Williams's place in the hearts (and on the tongues) of young Americans. And Beneath a Blue Umbrella is a worthy successor. Here is a book for adults to share with children -- and for children to share with adults and with each other.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Like their previous Ride a Purple Pelican , this large-size 64-page collection contains a miscellany of gaily illustrated rhymes that trip lightly on the tongue. Interspersed among such silly characters as Anna Banana, Upside-down Roy or Jennifer Juniper are poems about animals, including a melon-swallowing hippo, a bobolink that marries a frog, and Patter Pitter Caterpillar. With characteristic style and slapdash verve, Prelutsky's verses celebrate creatures across the country, from the Iowa farmer who is plagued by crows to the puppies who steal pretzels in Philadelphia. Prelutsky's humor and pleasantly quirky view of the world are well matched by Williams's full-page lively illustrations that heighten the book's boisterous fun. Ages 4-up. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-- This collection of 28 rhymes by Mother Goose reincarnate Jack Prelutsky skips from setting to setting--from Philadelphia to Sedalia, Idaho to Montana--with energetic enthusiasm. The rhymes have humor and dash, and make wonderfully playful read-aloud material. (``Idaho Rose, dressed in polka-dot clothes,/ carries potatoes wherever she goes . . . '') Williams' full-page watercolor and ink paintings for each rhyme accurately, if not inspirationally, reflect the text. However, Prelutsky's skill in combining rhythm and rhyme makes up for any lack of depth in the illustrations. These bounding verses are eminently readable, not only because of the style and content but also because of the large, clear type and generous use of white space. In picture-book format, this appealing title should be as popular and useful as Prelutsky's Ride a Purple Pelican (Greenwillow, 1986) . A good addition to nursery-rhyme and early poetry collections. --Janice M. Del Negro, Chicago Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

As in 'Ride a Purple Pelican' (Greenwillow), Prelutsky has written a collection of simple poems, close to nursery rhymes. The large, colorful pages and cheerfully ridiculous verse will appeal to young listeners. Review 3/90. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Twenty-eight sprightly poems, many of them making ear-tickling use of American place names (""John Poole left Sedalia/upon his blue mule. . .when John got to Joplin,/that mule was in tow""). Prelutsky's play with sound is as deft as ever; the play with images and ideas in these verses about odd beasts and quirky people is mildly funny, but more subdued here than in some of Prelutsky's popular verse. In the full-page illustrations for each poem, Williams delineates an interesting array of characters--some reminiscent of such favorites as Wilbur and Templeton, some rather detailed portraits or caricatures, and others (especially ""Eleven yellow monkeys"") sketched to convey dance-like movement more than form. Cheerful added color makes this an inviting collection for browsing or sharing. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.