Alligator Pie

by Dennis Lee, Frank Newfeld (Illustrator)

"Alligator Pie, alligator pie,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die.
Give away the green grass, give away the sky,
But don't give away my alligator pie!" You savored it as a child. You served it every night to your children. Now it's back-the tasty, delicious nonsense of Alligator Pie, in a collector's edition complete with the original artwork from the classic 1974 edition. Dennis Lee's wonderfully playful rhymes, along with Frank Newfield's memorable illustrations, have enchanted two generations of young readers. What better way could there be to discover the magic of books?

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

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1974

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

[Fergus, Weaver of Autistic Webs · Rating 5 out of 5]

La tienne si toujours la délice!
Mallarme

One summer day when I was only 15 - the year was 1965 - the shy and reclusive Dennis Lee was meantime furiously pedalling his bike through near-downtown Toronto (I picture the area as my own favourite bohemian quarter, near the old residential housing off Bloor Street West) concocting nursery rhyme poems for his two toddlers.

As his feet pumped the pedals up and down, the rhythmic doggerel that filled his noggin went like this:

Alligator PIE, alligator PIE -
If I don't GET some I think I'm gonna DIE (he was off to buy groceries for their lunch) -
Take away the GREEN grass,
Take away the SKY:
But DON'T take away my ALLIGATOR PIE!!!

And no, he's not a Canadian superstar. Just an ordinary introspective old codger like me, whom all the kids (and their grandkids now) call Canada's Father Goose.

But do you know it took our Father Goose NINE years to put his innocent nonsense into print?

I kid you not. Canada's shy own Edward Lear must have winced and worried for hours thinking about the knowing abjurations of sophisticated Canadian adults on such a gross and futile effort.

Well, he needn't have.

Because when it was published, at the zenith of Pierre Trudeau's Golden Era - in 1974 - it took kindergartens from Goose Bay to Qualicum Beach by surprise.

Librarians suddenly couldn't keep up with the demand!

Small wonder that in '74 it was named the Canadian Library Association's Book Of the Year.

And it was tailor-made for toddlers.

Kids LOVE to Dream to Doggerel that won't quit in their little brains.

See-saw mnemonic earworms are just their bag.

Lee now even says he''s heard 5-year-olds SKIPPING to the snappy rhythm of:

Alligator stew, alligator stew,
If I don't get some I don't know what I'll do -
Take away my furry hat,
Take away my shoe -
But DON'T take away my ALLIGATOR STEW!!!

Come and get it, folks! You'll LOVE it.

Here's DENNIS - as he reads Alligator Pie to us KIDS!!!

https://youtu.be/7YCVtvkUW0Q

[Cookie M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book for my daughter when she was in nursery school. She loved making up additional rhymes to add to the poem while we rode in the car.

[Lara Maynard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beloved book from childhood. I often recite bits to myself decades later.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've known about Alligator Pie for years. I was introduced to the title poem when I was in elementary school. Its bouncy rhythm is unforgettable. I'm not sure if I read the book as a child or not, because none of the poems seemed familiar (with the exception of "Skyscraper", which I'm pretty sure was read to us in Grade 1).

Given that this book is almost 40 years old, it's not surprising that aspects of it feel a bit dated. Some of the illustrations are obviously from another time. A poem about measles and mumps shouts that it's from another era. And perhaps spousal abuse was once considered humourous, but that's no longer the case.

However, that being said, there are still a number of highly enjoyable poems in this collection. "Alligator Pie" is one of the best. "Ookpik" made me giggle. "On Tuesdays I Polish My Uncle" has some delicious rhymes involving a pet shark. "The Friends" is a sweet little poem about a child and their friend named Egg. "Tricking" is a cute poem about reverse psychology. "The Sitter and the Butter and the Better Batter Fritter" is so much fun to read aloud... if you can do it without cracking up at your attempts at the tongue twisters within.

This book is also extremely Canadian. Poems like "In Kamloops", "Bed Song", "William Lyon Mackenzie King", "Tongue Twister", and "Kahshe or Chicoutimi" all feature distinctly Canadian people or places. There's even a poem about hockey, appropriately titled "The Hockey Game".

The meter of these poems is such that they have a tendency to get stuck in your head, like a jump-rope song. Some of them reminded me of the poems in A. A. Milne's When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. I did not realize that Dennis Lee had been a lyricist for Fraggle Rock. The whimsy and fun he brought to those songs is on full display here.

If you can overlook the few dated poems and illustrations, you'll probably find quite a bit to like here. It would be a fun book to read aloud to children... but it's also fun for adults who just want to indulge their inner child.

http://theladybugreads.blogspot.ca/20...

[btjgao · Rating 3 out of 5]

a cute little children's illustrated book

[Relyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was listed on Time Magazine's One Hundred Best Children's Books list. I do not agree.

[Kristine Mathias · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting book full of contemporary and quirky children's poetry. The illustrations are eccentric enough to make a child want to study them and figure them out but not enough so that it's too strange for children. The fun poetry and original art work enchants anyone who picks it up.

Alligator pie, alligator pie,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna die.
Give away the green grass, give away the sky,
But don't give away my alligator pie.

Alligator stew, alligator stew,
If I don't get some I don't know what I'll do.
Give away my furry hat, give away my shoe,
But don't give away my alligator stew.

Alligator soup, alligator soup,
If I don't get some I think I'm gonna droop.
Give away my hockey stick, give away my hoop,
But don't give away my alligator soup.

[Dan Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandatory reading for every kid IMHO. Poems that don’t make sense but, in not making sense, expose children to a greater universe of sensibilities and the potentials of language and imagination.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delight to read! Or shall I say, re-read! This was a book I had as a kid, and until re-reading I didn't realize it was Canadian (so many locations noted including Casa Loma, Yonge Street, Kamloops & more!). Some of the poems were a bit creepy, but I think that's because there is a fairy tale flair in it as well. I remember the illustrations so well and I remembered many of the poems well enough that I could hear how I either used to say them, or have them said/sang to me.

This was a joy to re-read and I'm so sad that I let go of my copy at some point. I was thrilled to find it available to read on ebook at the library. So much fun!

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and fun illustrations to go with the classic alligator pie song. Can you find all the hidden alligators?

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* art
3* poetry

Nonsense. Squirt loves it. Playing with rhymes is just fun.

[Smilingplatypus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved nursery rhymes. Alligator Pie has kept its spot on my bookshelf for its memorable, and ridiculously catchy verses. After (mumble mumble) years, I can still quote it. Plus, when you're a kid growing up in the modern age, rhymes that mention skyscrapers and Batman are a thrill. The poems are nonsense, but their imagination and earnest enthusiasm get to the heart of how kids see the world. The illustrations are beyond bizarre, and that's part of the charm.

If you do pick it up, make sure you read it aloud: preferably to a child or two!

[J.B. Mathias · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim because I remembered it from my childhood as a piece of classic Canadiana. I vaguely remember some of the poems so something about them must have stuck with me, but some of them just seem bad, like the kind of thing anyone could do improvising a short song with their child.

There is also a disturbing poem about cannibalism, now at first you might think well if a childrens song is about eating their toes it's not meant literally and is instead a reference to the way parents will lovingly pretend to nibble on their baby as a form of playing...and that would be very innocent...however the illustrations show a menacing chef holding a knife in front of a display of dismembered body parts. Not appropriate for the target age group.

It also seems like some of the reputation of the story as being very Canadian comes from just the constant mentioning of cities and places in Canada. The rhymes are mostly childish nonsense strewn with references to cities that seem somewhat out of place and very intentional.

I also can't tell if I like the art style or not so I'll just call it interesting. Some of the drawings remind of the kind of art you'll find in old Italian restaurants, some of it reminds me of native artstyles and some of it looks oddly symbolic and like the drawings on tarot cards and other mystical new age stuff. some of it looks very creepy. There's also a rhyme called "on tuesdays I polish my uncle" that mentions getting a stain on the brain and ends with the child bathing with the dad and the uncle...weird.

Also they make a great effort to insert so much Canadian stuff into the story then when they draw an elephant in an NHL jersey they put him in a Boston Bruins jersey?

At any rate nice walk down memory lane, nice collector piece but not much more than that.

[Nicole Quijada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alligator Pie is a book consisting of many different poems. They are considered to be nursery rhymes, written when a father wanted rhymes at bedtime but didn't like any poems to read his daughter so he made his own. There is not a plot. Every poem is different, fun, and rhymes in a way that makes you want to read or sing it out loud in a lot of fun ways. The pacing for this book is good. Some poems are short and sweet with a light approach to it. But, there are a few larger poems with more details to mix it up for the reader. Because these poems are nursery rhymes they flow very well. This is not much of a well a rounded piece because the only thing taken from this book is fun rhymes. There isn’t a deep story line, plot, or audience connection to the book. For just wanting a book of fun nursery rhymes this is a great book to go to, but only specifically for that purpose.

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

From Canadian poet Dennis Lee comes this cool collection of modern day Mother Goose rhymes, ones that have more to do with hockey players, the joy of eating gator cuisine like gator pie (in Florida people will swear by gator steak or Gatorade, and the reason why is a mystery to me), and a bold remake of Peter Rabbit has Pete finally get it for snacking on Farmer McGregor's veggies by being turned into a goon, kinda like that other famous bunny, yknow, little Bunny Foo Foo? Lee's attempts to reach new generations of kids with his fresh approach to rhymes of whimsy may never reach his intended audience but...you just never know. Miracles do happen, even in 2020.
Three stars
Gator Pie has a flaky crust, but still dandy tastin!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've chosen a Personal Reading Challenge close to my heart this year. I'm going to try to read and highlight TEN popular Canadian books. This is my first one.

This book was first published in 1974. It won the, "Book of the Year Award" in 1975 by the Canadian Library Association. It's a Canadian Children's classic. A fun and silly collection of poetry by Dennis Lee. The poems mention many cities, and locations all across Canada. Lots of mentions of hockey and a Prime Minister too! Probably one of the most famous short poems is, "Willoughby Walloughby Woo" that was later made famous as a song by the popular Canadian Children's performer, Raffi. Just take a look at that awesome cover too! Little children everywhere will delight with these bouncy and silly rhymes.

[Gabrielle Palmisano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alligator pie has a great flow to it. There is a constant flow of words and rhymes throughout the entire poem. The repetition about his alligator pie and alligator stew just made me laugh. This poem has a great way of expressing feelings by saying "if I don't get some I think I'm gonna die". I thoroughly enjoyed reading this poem over and over again. I hope I can use this in my future classroom one day.

[Taylor Volker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a poem about different stories. They mention modern things such as batman, which makes the poems more interesting to children. The illustrations are fun and creative for children. The poems are very silly and not very serious. The flow and rhyming that many of the entries had were engaging but easy enough for a young child to comprehend.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ I stumbled across this one this morning at the library and I was so excited to share it with the wee-lings. This was one of my favourite books in elementary school... and reading all the silly poems and tongue-twisters brought back scads of memories. If you are Canadian and haven't read this one, I highly recommend it. It's excessively silly and couldn't be more perfect.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Alligator Pie" is a beloved Canadian poem by Dennis Lee and together with illustrator Sandy Nichols, he has turned his poem into a lovely board book. The poem is funny, memorable, and has a pleasant cadence. Nichols's illustrators are delightful and are sure to engage a young reader.

The only problem that can be spied with this charming board book is that young readers will want more verses!

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alligator pie is a poetry book that rhymes. It is a canadian style book and it is a classic early book.

The media used here seems to be water color.

I would use this book when teaching about rhyming because that is the main thing to learn from this book.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the poetry in this book. The poems are really funny and don't make much sense. However, I love how the author makes up words so that the poem would rhyme. It has tongue twisters, drawings, and various themes. I really like this book and the drawings.

[Solanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully wierd and a wonderful play on poetry. I appreciated that it wasn't afraid to be quirky, and I actually learned a lot of interesting words and ideas from reading it as a kid, and I always enjoyed how much it made me think.

[Child960801]

This is the poem, Alligator Pie by Dennis Lee as a board book. The illustrations by Sandy Nichols tell their own story about two naughty children bothering an alligator by stealing his pie, stew, and soup. A fun interpretation of the poem.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the poems in Alligator Pie because they all make no sense.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Required reading for my children's literature course.

[Jane Chancey Bullard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me laugh out loud! Can't wait to red this jewel with my grandkids! Thank you Ada!

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love reading this one with the kids! Fun, silly poems that are a delight.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alligator Pie An uneven collection. Some poems were funny and clever. Others were just eh. Reminiscent of Shel Silverstein and Edward Lear, but rarely as good as either. 

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining collection of thirty-six original nonsense poems, plus a postlude about them.