In the Cafeteria

By: Jack Prelutsky

I was feeling sort of silly,
So I took a bit of bread
And directed it precisely
At my buddy Benny's head.
"Who did that?" Benny shouted,
As he shot out of his seat,
Flinging carrots at Carlotta,
Who then threw her peas at Pete.

Pete took a small tomato wedge
And hurled it at Denise,
Who responded, catapulting
Macaroni at Felice.
Felice, whose aim is perfect,
Started pelting me with beans -
I believe that I am learning
What the food chain really means.

I Wish I'd Studied Harder

By: Jack Prelutsky

I wish I'd studied harrder
For our spellink test today.
I'm sorrie that I didn't,
Now I'm feeling some dismaye.
I'd like to get a passing graid,
But don't beleeve I will -
I think I got Whyoming wrong,
And Chyna, and Brazill.

Though I don't want to make misteaks,
I made them awl the same.
It's no one else's fawlt but mine,
I have to take the blaime.
I tried to spell Cunneddykit,
But really, I just gessed...
If I had stoodied harder
Then I mite have passed this test.

We Had a Field Trip Yesterday

By: Jack Prelutsky

We had a field trip yesterday,
An annual event.
This year was really special,
We're all happy that we went.
We visited a factory
To watch candy being made,
And saw a million lollipops
On colorful parade.

We saw a vat of chocolate
That they'd warmed so it would melt,
And endless rows of gumdrops
On a great conveyer belt.
They gave us lots of samples,
And we giggled, roared, and squealed -
Our field trip was exciting,
Though we never saw a field.

My Backpack Weighs a Thousand Pounds

by: Jack Prelutsky

My backpack weighs a thousand pounds,

It's fatter than a cow!

I don't know how I carry it,

But do it anyhow.

It's filled with books and papers

That my teacher says I need -

She never lets me lighten it,

No matter how I plead.

Sometimes it tips me backward,

It's a wonder I don't fall.

Sometimes I have to stop and rest

And lean against a wall.

I tell you, from experience,

It's not a lot of fun

When you have to lug a backpack

That's about a half a ton.

You're Eating Like a Pig Again!

by: Jack Prelutsky

"You're eating like a pig again!"

my mother scolded me,

"If you keep eating like a pig,

a pig is what you'll be!"

I simply cannot fathom

what the fuss is all about,

and haven't I a lovely tail,

and see my splendid snout.

The Turkey Shot out of the Oven

by: Jack Prelutsky

The turkey shot out of the oven

and rocketed into the air,

it knocked every plate off the table

and partly demolished a chair.

It ricocheted into a corner

and burst with a deafening boom,

then splattered all over the kitchen,

completely obscuring the room.

It stuck to the walls and the windows,

it totally coated the floor,

there was turkey attached to the ceiling,

where there'd never been turkey before.

It blanketed every appliance,

it smeared every saucer and bowl,

there wasn't a way I could stop it,

that turkey was out of control.

I scraped and I scrubbed with displeasure,

and thought with chagrin as I mopped,

that I'd never again stuff a turkey

with popcorn that hadn't been popped.

Something Big Has Been Here

by: Jack Prelutsky

Something big has been here,

what it was, I do not know,

for I did not see it coming,

and I did not see it go,

but I hope I never meet it,

if I do, I'm in a fix,

for it left behind its footprints,

they are size nine-fifty-six.

Seismosaurus

By: Jack Prelutsky

Seismosaurus was enormous,

Seismosaurus was tremendous,

Seismosaurus was prodigious,

Seismosaurus was stupendous.

Seismosaurus was titanic,

Seismosaurus was colossal,

Seismosaurus now is nothing

but a monumental fossil.

Iguanodon

By: Jack Prelutsky

Iguanodon, Iguanodon,

whatever made you fade,

you've traveled on, Iguanodon,

we wish you could have stayed.

Iguanodon, Iguanodon,

we've sought you everywhere,

both here and yon, Iguanodon,

but failed to find you there.

Iguanodon, Iguanodon,

you were a gentle kind,

but now you're gone, Iguanodon,

and left your bones behind.

Triceratops

By: Jack Prelutsky

Triceratops had one short horn,

and two as long as spears,

it dwelled near scores of carnosaurs,

and yet it had no fears.

Triceratops was dangerous,

impervious and strong,

the predators that challenged it

did not last very long.

Triceratops fought valiantly,

and vanquished every foe,

so why it ever disappeared,

nobody seems to know.

Ankylosaurus

By: Jack Prelutsky

Clankity Clankity Clankity Clank!

Ankylosaurus was built like a tank,

its hide was a fortress as sturdy as steel,

it tended to be an inedible meal.

It was armored in front, it was armored behind,

there wasn't a thing on its miniscule mind,

it waddled about on its four stubby legs,

nibbling on plants with a mouthful of pegs.

Ankylosaurus was best left alone,

its tail was a cudgel of gristle and bone,

Clankity Clankity Clankity Clank!

Ankylosaurus was built like a tank.

Brachiosaurus

By: Jack Prelutsky

Brachiosaurus had little to do

but stand with its head in the treetops and chew,

it nibbled the leaves that were tender and green,

it was a perpetual eating machine.

Brachiosaurus was truly immense,

its vacuous mind was uncluttered by sense,

it hadn't the need to be clever and wise,

no beast dared to bother a being its size.

Brachiosaurus was clumsy and slow,

but then, there was nowhere it needed to go,

if Brachiosaurus were living today,

no doubt it would frequently be in the way.

My Mother's Got Me Bundled Up

By: Jack Prelutsky

My mother's got me bundled up

in tons of winter clothes,

you could not recognize me

if I did not have a nose.

I'd wear much less, but she'd get mad

if I dared disobey her,

so I stay wrapped from head to toe

in layer after layer.

I am wearing extra sweaters,

I am wearing extra socks,

my galoshes are so heavy

that my ankles seem like rocks.

I am wearing scarves and earmuffs,

I am wearing itchy pants,

my legs feel like they're swarming

with a million tiny ants.

My mittens are enormous

and my coat weighs more than me,

my woolen hat and ski mask

make it difficult to see.

It's hard to move, and when I try

I waddle, then I flop,

I'm the living, breathing model

of a walking clothing shop.

My Mother Took Me Skating

By: Jack Prelutsky

My mother took me skating

and we glided on the ice,

I wasn't very good at it

and stumbled more than twice.

My mother made a figure eight,

and since it seemed like fun,

I tried a little trick myself

and made a figure one.

Winter Signs

By: Jack Prelutsky

Winter signs are everywhere,

the winter winds are nipping,

winter snow is in my hair,

my winter nose is dripping.

Long Gone

By: Jack Prelutsky

Don't waste your time in looking for

The long-extinct tyrannosaur,

Because this ancient dinosaur

Just can't be found here anymore.

This also goes for stegosaurus,

Allosaurus, brontosaurus

And any other saur or saurus.

They all lived here long before us.

Gobble Gobble

By: Jack Prelutsky

When the turkey gobble gobbles,

it is plump and proud and perky.

When our family gobble gobbles,

we are gobbling down the turkey.

It's Hard to Be an Elephant

By: Jack Prelutsky

It's hard to be an elephant,

enormous, broad and tall.

I can't attend the cinema,

the seats are all too small.

It's practically impossible

for me to board a bus,

the tired often flatten,

and the driver makes a fuss.

I'm ushered out of luncheonettes,

the waitresses are rude.

They fume, "We cannot feed you,

for you'll finish all our food."

I'm drawn to the piano,

but I'm daunted when I play,

I tend to be ungainly,

and my ears get in the way.

My trunk is far too powerful,

no sooner do I sneeze

than windows crack and shatter

from the impact of the breeze.

I'm plagued by a peculiar,

purely pachydermal plight -

I find no socks and underwear

that fit precisely right.

I'm Usually a Speedy Horse

By: Jack Prelutsky

I'm usually a speedy horse,

today I'm very slow.

I'm hardly making headway

as along the road I go.

I'm slower than a tortoise

or a sloth atop a tree

my rider has decided

that he ought to carry me.

A Gopher In The Garden

By: Jack Prelutsky

There's a gopher in the garden, and he's

eating all the onions,

and he's eating all the carrots, all the corn and

cauliflower,

all the parsley, peas and pumpkins, all the

radishes and greens.

At breakfast, lunch or dinnertime the gopher is

no loafer

and he quickly will devour everything

before his eyes.

He does not even hesitate to eat a cabbage twice

his weight,

or a watermelon five or six or seven

times his size.