Prelutsky also loved to draw imaginary animals, and a friend of his encouraged him to send it to a publisher in New York. In the late 1960's, he was working in a bookstore in Greenwich Village and singing in coffeehouses, and while doing the latter he met Bob Dylan, became friends, and Dylan even stated that Prelutsky sounded 'like a cross between Woody Guthrie and Enrico Caruso'. He studied philosophy, psychology, and flunked English three times before dropping out.īefore becoming a writer, he worked odd jobs including driving a cab, moving furniture, busboy, potter, woodworker, and door-to-door salesman. He graduated in 1958, and went on to Hunter College for two years. While there, he was happy and was able to train his beautiful singing voice and even took part in the musicals. She would pick a boring poem from a boring book and read it in a boring voice, looking bored while she was doing it.'Īfter teachers discovered he had musical talents, they suggest he attend The High School of Music & Art. The syllabus told her she had to recite a poem once a week. She was determined to inflict her views on her captives. He stated that 'sometime in elementary school I had a teacher who, in retrospect, did not like poetry herself. Prelutsky claims to have hated poetry when he was younger. He attended local public schools in the Bronx, hated the experience, and was bored in class. He was poor growing up, and he said he was '.a sensitive kid in a working class neighborhood. While he was still a baby, a fire burned his family's apartment and he was saved by his Uncle Charlie, who was a stand up comic who played the Borscht Belt. Jack Prelutsky was born on Septemin Brooklyn, New York to Charles, an electrician, and Dorothea, a homemaker. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife, Carolynn. Jack Prelutsky is an American writer of children's poetry.

Nightmares by jack prelutsky