In this exuberant collection, Lois Ehlert celebrates the animal kingdom with quirky, playful rhymes and bold collage illustrations that perfectly capture the spirit of each creature. Sixty-four of her favorite animal friends are here, from hamsters to monkeys, geckos to mountain goats--and with its clever combination of fact and wordplay, this stunning volume is as fun to read as it is to look at.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2—Kids will have a grand time poring over the pictures in Ehlert's latest offering. A variety of animals, from insects to birds to giant mammals, is represented in her trademark cut-paper collage style. The artist uses scissors, pinking shears, and a hole punch to transform brightly colored papers into squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, diamonds, half circles, ovals, hearts, and teardrops of different sizes, which she then fashions into a menagerie guaranteed to spark readers' imaginations. Each creature is coupled with a short, humorous poem that is sure to delight: "If her tail's raised/give a skunk room,/unless you like/pee-yoo perfume." And who can resist this ditty: "A cat/is a purr/wrapped up/in fur." Young children will enjoy identifying the animals while older kids will be inspired to grab some scissors and paper to create their own geometric zoo. Teachers can use this book to jump-start art and creative writing lessons, but kids will just like it because it's oodles of fun.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT
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