Listen to Children: The Jack Prelutsky Antiquarian Children's Poetry Collection

An online exhibition from Archives & Special Collections
Western Washington University Libraries

About the exhibition

Selected from nearly 1,200 rare books donated to Western Libraries by award-winning author and inaugural U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky, the material in this exhibition spans two hundred and fifty years in the history of poetry for the young and young at heart.

Through an exploration of topical themes represented in the collection, the exhibition is intended to honor Jack's generous gift and promote its use in teaching, learning, and research both at Western and beyond. Also included are reflections by contemporary poets and illustrators, who speak to how much children's poetry has changed since the books in the Prelutsky Collection were published.

The text of this online exhibition originally appeared in a printed catalog, copies of which are available on request. Additionally, a PDF file is available through Western Libraries institutional repository, CEDAR.

Credits

Exhibition curated by Sylvia Tag, Children's and Young Adult Literature Librarian, and Michael Taylor, Special Collections Librarian.

Content warning

This exhibition contains images that some viewers may find disturbing. Western Libraries' Division of Archives & Special Collections aims to foster academic dialogue and contextualize its collections of historical material in a respectful manner. We welcome feedback on any issues of concern. Please contact us at speccoll@wwu.edu.