Kirkus Reviews

Acrostic poems inventively highlight the animals of Africa. While some of the acrostics simply spell the name of the animals, others expand the topic of the poem—the rhino's poem spells out "beauty in the beast," while the giraffe's declares them "cloud friends." Harley keeps things interesting by varying the seriousness of the poems and the rhythm and rhyme schemes. Backmatter includes more about acrostics as a poetic form and short paragraphs of information about each of the featured animals. Noyes's photographs perfectly encapsulate the poems, the two creating a harmonious whole that is more than the sum of its parts. The kudu, his poem asking how one greets this animal, is shown in close-up, his head tilted as if waiting for an introduction. The fatherly advice of the ostrich is delivered with a straight face, long-lashed eyes looking readers right in the eye. This belongs in every collection—for the poetry, for the photographs, for the information. (Picture book/poetry. 6-10)

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

In this collection of eighteen poems about African animals, Harley makes decoding the acrostics part of the fun. Noyes's vibrant color photographs, taken mostly in Namibia, are creatively composed and capture each animal's unique qualities. Together, poetry and photography make for a superb collection; the appended animal facts are a bonus.

ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

This dramatic picture book will draw readers with its mix of short poems and clear color photos of wild animals in the game parks of Namibia. Each spread focuses on a different animal: a rhino ("Boulders for shoulders, / Elegant horn"); giraffes ("Nibbling on high, they / Decorate the sky"); and more. Word puzzles are part of the poetry. In most cases, the first letters of each line can be read vertically to make a meaningful phrase: wild stripes appears in a poem about zebras, while the first letters in a poem about giraffes spells out cloud friends. A few puzzles go even further: for the hornbill, the first and the last letters of each line make a double acrostic. For the leopard, the diagonal letters spell prowler. Detailed final notes explain the word games and, best of all, provide fascinating zoological facts about each animal. A good cross-curriculum title that kids will enjoy beyond the classroom, too.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 4-8 Harley has written 18 poems, each one featuring a different animal. All are written as acrostics, with most of them based on the first letter of each line, but several with more unusual patterns, such as a double acrostic ("Eye to Eye"); a quintuple acrostic with a five-word message ("Impalas in Peril"); and a double acrostic concrete poem ("Hornbill's Hot Day"'). Much of Harley's poetry consists of carefully crafted descriptive word imagery that is right on target: "Carnivore-supreme/Open-opportunist/Dragon-eye-agleam" (crocodile); "Leather limbs in rhythm/Evenly swaying in step/Plod slowly over Africa" (elephant). Most of the full-page, full-color photos of the animals are perfect companions to the facing selections. Noyes describes in an endnote how she snapped many of the photographs while camouflaged in blinds near small watering holes in game parks and preserves in Namibia. Two pages of "Nature Notes" offer fascinating informational tidbits about each poeticized species. Useful as an entree to writing an unusual and enjoyable type of verse, this short collection offers pleasurable reading, with a nature lesson thrown in as well. Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH