I have always enjoyed playing with words, but I had no idea that I would be a writer. There was a time when I couldn't stand poetry! In grade school, I had a teacher who left me with the impression that poetry was the literary equivalent of liver. I was told that it was good for me, but I wasn't convinced.

When I was a young man, I discovered poetry again and it changed my life. I had spent months drawing several imaginary animals, but one evening I decided to write a little poem to go with each drawing. A friend encouraged me to show the poems to an editor, and when I did, I was astonished to find that the editor — Susan Hirschman — thought I had a talent for writing verse. Susan told me I was a natural poet and encouraged me to keep writing. She published my first book and, 30 years later, she's still my editor.

I was born in Brooklyn, New York, on September 8, 1940, and now live in Washington State with my wife, Carolynn. I have a studio in my house, which contains my writing desk, computer, lots of books, and my collection of miniature frogs.

For years, Jack Prelutsky's imaginative poems have been turning children into poetry lovers. His silly poems have tickled the most stubborn funny bones, while his scarier verses have been known to raise the little hairs on the back of the neck!