Apologies to My Most Noble and Excellent Friend
I’m sorry that I squished your nose;
I thought it was the garden hose.
And I’m sorry that I squashed your belly;
I thought it was a sack of jelly.
It wasn’t nice to rip your shirt off
(I only meant to get the dirt off).
And it wasn’t kind to fry your socks
(Besides, they tasted hard as rocks).
How awfully rude to break your knee —
I don’t know what came over me;
And pounding on your head all night
Was fun. But very impolite.
— Dennis Lee
Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved. From Melvis and Elvis. HarperCollins. Reprinted by permission of the author.
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From Melvis and Elvis
Canadian kidslit legend Dennis Lee’s first new children’s collection in more than a decade-in collaboration with bestselling illustrator Jeremy Tankard.
Melvis the monster
And Elvis the elf
Were hunting for books
On the library shelf-
One on the carpet,
And one in a chair,
So neither could see
That the other was there…
Melvis and Elvis is classic Dennis Lee, with more than thirty new poems for fans of his beloved collections, including the perennial bestseller Alligator Pie. This irresistible blend of narrative, word play, and pure nonsense, combined with Jeremy Tankard’s whimsical and energetic illustrations, will appeal to both the very young and developing readers.