Have you ever encountered an underwater marching band, a pig in a bathing suit, a pet orangutan, or a witch in a hardware store? Have you ever sat with a skunk in a courtroom, shopped for a dinosaur, or conversed with a Bupple, a Wosstrus, a Violinnet, or a Celloon? You will have, once you've read this exuberant collaboration from Jack Prelutsky and his "partner in crime"* James Stevenson.
The "reigning czars of silliness"* have once again teamed up to bring readers an irresistible collection of poems that will have tongues twisting, imaginations soaring, and sides aching with laughter. The result is genius, indeed.
*Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Customer Review: Love it!!
These poems are so clever and fun- and funny! Our almost 4 year old loves them, and I love reading them. I bought another copy for our nephew who is just learning to read. These remind me of the Shel Silverstein poems I read as a kid- and loved- but seem a bit more appropriate for a very young audience. I love introducing poetry and this is a great way to do it. I HIGHLY recommend this book (and others by him- we have a few now).
Customer Review: Hilarious and superbly written - terrific poems for kids and adults
We got this book at a school book fair and it's by far the best discovery in ages.. These kids' poems are hilarious and superbly well-written, with all the craft and subtlety of Edward Lear or Ogden Nash, but they're immediately accessible to kids and to adults. You may think poetry's not your thing, but your child will love the pieces in this book which make great bedtime reading as well. My daughter memorized one - "A Letter from Camp" - last year for a school event and she got laughs like a standup comic - it was such a hit that kids and other teachers asked her to do it over and over again. Light verse may seem like a lost art, but the poems here couldn't be better - five stars plus and hats off to a terrific poet, Jack Prelutsky, the best poet for children in a long, long time...
Arrf, Woof, Bow-wow! Ever wonder what these dog sounds mean? Do you think your dog might be trying to say something really important to you? Well now you may be able to find out. The Japanese toy company Takara claims that their new dog translator called Bow-Lingual can actually translate dog sounds into human words and phrases.
The device comes in two parts: a radio microphone that attaches to the dog's collar, and a receiver held by the owner that is said to translate the dog's barks. The translater is capable of translating the growls, grunts, and whines into phrases such as "I'm hungry," "walk me," and "I'm tired." The phrases as well as illustrations are displayed on the receivers LCD screen. Although the phrases are far from complex sentences, they do a reasonable job in describing what the dog wants or thinks.
In addition to translating what your dog is saying at any given moment, Bow-Lingual is equipped with a Data Analysis Mode, which allows the owner to track changes in the dogs perceived emotions over time. The doggy translator also includes a Body Language Translation Mode, a Training Mode and a Medical Reference Mode. It uses 5 "AAA" batteries, and the first set is usually included.
So how does Bow-Lingual turn bow-wow into human talk? Well, the device uses what is known as an animal Emotion Analysis System. This basically means that it has a large database of dog sounds which have been translated into human language by dog experts. So, when the dog makes a particular sound, the device matches the sound with the closest one it its database and spits out the human equivalent. Thus, the accuracy of the device is largely dependent on the experts prior ability to properly assign words and phrases to dog barks. And this, of course, is far from a perfect science.
The device originally sold for over $150, but now can be bought for around $40 - $50. At this price it is probably worth experimenting with if you are at all curious about what your furry best friend is trying to tell you.
Bradley James is a senior editor at SciNet.cc, a website containing many helpful consumer electronics review articles. For more information on Bow Lingual translating technology, please visit our Bow Lingual webpage.
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