[1] Before becoming a writer, he worked odd jobs including driving a cab, moving furniture, busboy, potter, woodworker, and door-to-door salesman.

In the late 1960s, he was working in a bookstore in Greenwich Village and at Izzy Young's Folklore Center, singing in coffeehouses under the name Jack Ballard.

"[1] Prelutsky also loved to draw imaginary turtle animals, and a friend of his encouraged him to send it to a publisher in New York.

Hirschman told him he was a natural poet, published his book, and remained his editor until she retired 37 years later.

[1] Prelutsky has written more than 50 poetry collections, including Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep (1976), It's Halloween (1977), The Mean Old Mean Hyena (1978), and Something BIG Has Been Here (1990).

In 2006, the Poetry Foundation named Prelutsky the inaugural winner of the Children's Poet Laureate award.