The Carnival of the Animals

The classical song, The Carnival of the Animals, has been recognized for years for it's playful melodies, humor, rhythm and cadence. Prelutsky and GrandPré, have artfully crafted a poetic anthology that brings the silly habits of animals to life. "Poetry draws young readers into listening. Students pay attention to poetry because it plays with the sounds of language; uses interesting, intriguing words; deals with fascinating topics" (Galda, 2017). Children love animals. The content of these verses are interesting and can easily be understood by children. The use of rhyming, alliteration, repetition, and word choice enhances the meaning behind the musicality and poetry.

As children are introduced to this musical classic, so too are they to the art of mixed-media illustrations. The way GrandPré artistically illustrates the birds made of music notes and the donkeys hee-haws cracking the night sky is exquisite.

The language and carefully selected word choice, is vivid. The illustrations enhance and extend the feelings, emotions, and thoughts established by the text, making this a fantastic poetic picture book (Galda, 2017).

Teachers can use this text:

to introduce students to classical music
teach rhyming, alliteration, and figurative language
to show how words and pictures work together to make meaning
in music, art, reading, and writing classes.

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Author: Jack Prelutsky

Illustrator: Mary GrandPré

Year Published: 2010

Target Age/Grade Level: 3 - 7 years old / Grades K-3

Genre: Poetry and Verse, Picturebook

Comments

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