Jelly Belly

by Dennis Lee, Juan Wijngaard (Illustrator)

To generations of children, Dennis Lee is known as a wizard of words, the author of such classics as Alligator Pie, Garbage Delight, The Cat and The Wizard, and the bestseller Bubblegum Delicious. With Jelly Belly, originally published in 1983, Lee created a new Mother Goose. As playful and hilarious as our traditional nursery rhymes, Jelly Belly combines toe-tapping poetry with the beguiling illustrations of Juan Wijngaard (winner of the Mother Goose Award). Jelly Belly is the ideal book-for children ages one to five, for older brothers and sisters, for parents, grandparents and any grown up who remains young at heart.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Canada, Picture Books, Classics

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Dennis Beynon Lee, OC, MA is a Canadian poet and thinker who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He is also a children's writer.

After attending high school at the University of Toronto Schools, Lee received bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of Toronto. He is best known for his children's writings; his most famous work is the rhymed Alligator Pie (1974). He also wrote the lyrics to the theme song of the 1980s television show Fraggle Rock and, with Philip Balsam, many of the other songs for that show. Balsam and Lee also wrote the songs for the television special The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. Lee is co-writer of the story for the film Labyrinth.

Reviews

[Dan Browne]

This book is so intensely seared into my childhood memory that reading it is like looking through a temporal vortex. I love how absolutely dreadful some of these characters are — this is the real deal, the kind of stuff that slightly traumatizes kids because the ideas are so fecund that they spill off the page and infect your consciousness. Some adults might even imagine that mean ol’ Jelly Belly could be a bad influence because he’s so gross and nonsensical, but this collection is extremely special because a) it is silly and kids love silly (and if you’re an adult who doesn’t enjoy silly, reconsider your priorities), b) it shows that good poetry ought to be ACCESSIBLE, c) the illustrations and text work in a synergy that is so insanely good it’s as though it came from some other dimension, and d) because of all this, the book opens realms of possibility for young minds that reach far beyond whatever any committee trying to cash in with some formulaic “Paw Patrol” kind of tripe might be able to muster. Dennis Lee is a national treasure.

[Kristine Mathias]

Jelly Belly is an entertaining book full of fantastic illustrations for Pre-K and Kindergarten students. The poems are said to the tune of many popular mother goose nursery rhymes. The poems are quirky, funny and grab your attention with the oddness. A wonderful book of poetry that you will enjoy reading to your children as well as to yourself !

Little Miss Dimble
Lived in a thimble,
Slept in a measuring spoon.
She met a mosquito and called him "My sweet-o,"
And married him under the moon.

[Kelly]

I absolutely loved this book! It is a book of children's rhymes and short poems. The illustrations are very sweet and detailed.

What I saw in my mind's eye as I was reading the rhymes was a time when children used silly rhymes to decide who was "it" when playing tag. I also saw little girls back in the day reciting rhymes while jumping rope.

This was a very nostalgic book for me, and I think it would speak to children of all ages. It is simple, silly, fun.

[Kristie Saumure]

Most of the poems fell a bit flat, but the one about the cat doing nothing right resonated. And the one about Bigamy Bill made me chuckle (how did this make it into a book of children's poetry?).

[KaitandMaddie]

It’s fun to read nursery rhymes.

[Lynn Davidson]

This book is full of short little poems that children will enjoy, some funny, some silly, and all with fun illustrations.
Note: As this book was published in 1983, some are rather outdated and are easily skipped over if preferred.

[Justina]

I was given this book of poems as a present by a mentor who has passed and a group of students that are now well on their way to adolescence. I truly appreciated the thought, however I did not like the book. I thought it was silly and not in a good way!

[Christine]

Dennis Lee is beloved but the illustrations are what make this particular book truly magical. Individually they bring each poem to life; collectively, they transport us to the Jelly Belly world. Thank you Juan Wijngaard.

[Susan Brown]

This book is a delight. I loved reading it to my kids -- it was their favorite. This was purchased at my daughter's request for her children. The rhymes are silly and rollicking, fun for kids and fun to read to them.

[NightAuditMan]

Another silly collection from Mr. Lee

[Gabriele Wills]

Amusing poems that delight children and adults.

[Janet Macdonald]

Dennis Lee does nothing less than 5 stars but Alligator Pie continues to be my favorite!!

[Mr. C.C.]

I've read this book many times in elementary school. It's a book of poetry I loved as a child. It's full of fun, funny, and great short poetry.

[Krystal]

One of my favourites growing up!