The Swamps of Sleethe by Jack Prelutsky

The Swamps of Sleethe by Jack Prelutsky was the book I got at the Tattered Cover’s Book Lover’s Day celebration on 4/23. It caught my eye on their National Poetry Month display. My favorite book by Jack Prelutsky is The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, but this one may be a close 2nd. The Swamps of Sleethe take you on a poetic journey through a galaxy far from our own and one that you will soon find that you need to stay far away from.

On sweltering Sleethe, in swamps aseethe,
Malignant beings thrive,
Abhorrent things that need not breathe,
and yet are quite alive .
Within a foul and festering broth,
These mucid horrors ooze.
As gluey fluids fume and froth,
They hold their rendezvous.

I also loved the vibrant alien illustrations of Jimmy Pickering. As an added bonus some of the planet names in the poems are anagrams for you to unscramble (and I thought a couple of them were a bit tricky).

Great inspiration for those poetic souls who like to rhyme.