Scranimals

I liked this book for two reasons. Firstly, I remembered reading this book as a child and really enjoying the illustrations, and enjoyed them as well while reading the book as an adult. The image of the potatoad is iconic, in my opinion, and when one thinks of Jack Prelutsky, one thinks of this image specifically. I also really enjoyed the imaginative language of the poetry in the book. For instance, on page 26, Prelutsky says, "The lovely toucanemones, Profuse upon the hills, Display their gaudy petals And their multicolored bills." One thing I thought was weird about the book, though, was that it didn't really have a lesson, which makes me wonder what it's purpose for the classroom is.

Smart, smart versifying in this comical gazetteer-cum-bestiary of a land of gene-mod madness. My favourite is the avocadodo.

Update: six months later this has become an obsession - daughter has memorised large tracts - my new favourite is the radishark. Or maybe the pandaffodil.

Summary:

Jack Prelutsky takes the reader on a journey to Scranimal Island where the most intriguing variety of mixed up animal-vegetable-plants live. The fun and nonsensical combination of unbelievable matches, with just enough recognizable traits from their name, send the imagination on a wild goose chase to discover what else might be found on Scranimal Island.

Personal Reaction:

A terrifically fun book that is deliberately silly and smart. The names of each of the animals create just enough of a puzzle that the reader must connect the dots so to speak, putting the clues from the text together as each animal is described. For those times when seriousness is over-rated, this is an excellent book to feed creativity. I will definitely read show more this book again!

Classroom Extensions:

1 - Create a classroom Scranimals Zoo. Students will create their own mix-matched animal-slash-vegetable (or fruit, or plant). Each animal will be illustrated by the student, and described in writing using a poem format. Illustrations with poems will be posted for display.

2 - After reading Scranimals to the class, students will be asked to write in their own words an explanation of how these mixed up Scranimals got so mixed up. Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? show less

I read this book very often as a child. I rediscovered it when I chose my multicultural text set topic (journeys) and I am so happy I did. I used this book for a lesson plan in another class this semester and everyone really enjoyed the lesson. I love it still! It has so many different features in it that can be used in a lesson. The best part about this book is how creative Jack Prelutsky is with his poems. He creates new animals, such as the Avocadodos and the Bananaconda, and showcases how creative you can really be when it comes to poetry. The book is funny because of the new animals and the pictures that go with them. The poems and the illustrations combined showcase each animal's personality: "On a bump beside a road / Sits a show more lowly POTATOAD, / Obviously unaware / Of its own existence there." A picture of a giant toad that looks like a potato that is just staring at nothing. This book does not really have a big idea. It was just a collection of poems with a similar idea. One thing that can be taken away from this book is that the author emphasizes that the book is not finished in the last two lines: "Perhaps there is more to discover-- / We'd like to return there someday." I think this just encourages the reader to think of their own animals and add to the amazing animals you could find on Scranimal Island. show less

I loved Scranimals for several reasons; including the language and illustrations. In this story, two children sail to Scranimal Island for an adventure to see wild animals. The author created new animals, which combined an animal and a plant. The illustrations are absolutely amazing to look at. They show the two children traveling through Scranimal Island, preview the next animal, and show a picture of the current animal. These illustrations really enhance the story and the reader’s imagination. The author wrote the story using poetry and rhyme. Each animal has a stanza or two describing them. The stanzas are patterned and flow well to keep the story moving. An example of a Scranimal is the Potatoad. This creation is a potato and a show more toad together. The stanza describes the Potatoad, “On its coarse and warty hide, It has eyes on every side, Eyes that fail, apparently, To take note of what they see.” The message of the story could easily be animals, but I think it also stands for adventure and using your imagination! show less

I read this book recently for the first time when one of my classmates used it in a lesson plan presentation. I really enjoyed the book and thought it would be a valuable addition to my classroom library, so I purchased it that day. In my opinion, the most enjoyable aspect of this book is the creativity and uniqueness of the story. For example, the characters in the story are fantasy creatures that are created by combining the name of an animal with a fruit, vegetable, or other item. One of my most favorite characters is a combination of a snake and a banana, called a Bananaconda. The mood of the book is positive and humorous, mostly due to the highly imaginative language and set of creatures. The illustrations are drawn intricately, show more highlighting the details that portray a given creature and incorporate the meaning of the two words used to create it. I think the pictures are very important to the story and help the reader to visualize the poetic language. The big idea of this poetry book is to encourage readers to explore their creativity and imagination. “Perhaps there is more to discover.” show less

This is a delightful, silly, charming book of poetry about animals mixed up. my favorite may be the pocupineapple. This inspired my 5 year old's imagination in a huge way, we read it through many times before it had to go back to the library.