Jack Prelutsky’s Musical Mix
Euphonica Jarre
Euphonica Jarre has a voice that’s bizarre,
but Euphonica warbles all day,
as windowpanes shatter and chefs spoil the batter
and mannequins moan with dismay.
Mighty ships run aground at her horrible sound,
pretty pictures fall out of their frames,
trees drop off their branches,
rocks start avalanches,
and flower beds burst into flames.
When she opens her mouth, even eagles head south,
little fish truly wish they could drown,
the buzzards all hover, as tigers take cover,
and rats pack their bags and leave town.
Milk turns into butter and butterflies mutter
and bees look for something to sting,
pigs peel off their skins, a tornado begins
when Euphonica Jarre starts to sing.
From The New Kid on the Block, Greenwillow Books, 1984.
Titanic Timmy Tinkletunes
Titanic Timmy Tinkletunes
is such a giant fellow
that when he plays the violin,
he has to use a cello.
From It’s Raining Pigs & Noodles, Greenwillow Books, 1993.
In Tuscaloosa
In Tuscaloosa, after dark,
the donkeys gathered in the park.
The ducks and chickens came along,
and an old-time band played an old-time song.
There were pigs and cows in the green grass field,
and the cows all mooed, and the pigs all squealed,
and the ducks quack-quacked, and the donkeys brayed,
and the chickens clucked as the music played.
They danced a jig and they danced a reel,
then they all sat down to a fine hot meal
of corn and okra, dumpling stew,
at that Alabama barbecue.
From The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders, Greenwillow Books, 2002.
I Am Growing a Glorious Garden
I am growing a glorious garden,
resplendent with trumpets and flutes,
I am pruning euphonium bushes,
I am watering piccolo shoots,
my tubas and tambourines flourish,
surrounded by saxophone reeds,
I am planting trombones and pianos,
and sowing sweet sousaphone seeds.
I have cymbals galore in my garden,
staid oboes in orderly rows,
there are flowering fifes and violas
in the glade where the glockenspiel grows,
there are gongs and guitars in abundance,
there are violins high on the vine,
and an arbor of harps by the bower
where the cellos and clarinets twine.
My bassoons are beginning to blossom,
as my zithers and mandolins bloom,
my castanets happily chatter,
my kettledrums merrily boom,
the banjos that branch by the bugles
play counterpoint with a kazoo,
come visit my glorious garden
and hear it play music for you.
From Something BIG Has Been Here, Greenwillow Books, 1990.
Rumpitty Tumpitty
Rumpitty Tumpitty Rumpitty Tum,
Buntington Bunny is beating the drum,
he doesn’t look up and he doesn’t look down,
all through the Rumpitty Tumpitty town.
He twitches his nose as he tramps through the street,
stamping his Rumpitty Tumpitty feet,
Rumpitty Tumpitty Rumpitty Tum,
Buntington Bunny is beating the drum.
From Ride a Purple Pelican, Greenwillow Books, 1986.
We’re Shaking Maracas
We’re shaking maracas
And beating on drums,
We’re tapping on tables
With fingers and thumbs.
We jingle our bells,
And we play tambourines,
We rattle our bottles
Of buttons and beans.
We’re blowing our whistles
And tooting kazoos,
We’re clanging our cymbals
As loud as we choose.
We stomp up and down
On the floor with our feet. . . .
We love making music,
The sound is so sweet.
From What a Day It Was at School, Greenwillow Books, 2006.