Twenty-one animals are each the subject of both a watercolor painting and a poem. Brief and largely humorous, the poems often make rhymes or puns with the animals' names. Read aloud, they reveal skilled alliteration--The anteater's long and tacky tongue is snaking from its snout. The humor, in words and pictures, will win young children: The caterpillar's not a cat. / It's very small / And short and fat. The accompanying picture, located on the facing page, shows a caterpillar that has eaten a cat-shaped piece from a large green leaf. (Reviewed Feb. 15, 1994)

The twenty-one brief poems and accompanying illustrations wittily expose the intriguing natures of a wide range of creatures, from the virtually unknown rhea and kiwi to the familiar ant, whale, and camel. Most verses are rhymed and employ standard poetic schemes, but clever wordplay, good rhythm, and liberal humor in word and illustrations make a fine poetic feast.

A frequent picture-book author-illustrator offers 21 snappy poems about animals, each depicted in a square, dynamically composed watercolor. The succinctly phrased verse is fresh, occasionally whimsical, and witty with wordplay and puns (The pounding spatter/Of salty sea/Makes the walrus/Walrusty'' is accompanied by a picture of a resigned looking old specimen in shades of rust). Sly humor pervades the pictures as much as the verse: the anteater's one-way arrow forA thousand termites riding in/But no one riding out''; a mega-clawed underwater/Mobster'' lobster (So be careful/On vacation/Not to step on/This crustacean''); ant tunnels that spell Ant City''; a caterpillar (not a cat'') that has chewed a cat- shaped hole in a leaf; a sloth so indolent that flowers sprout beneath its chin. Subtle, sophisticated, and quite charming. (Poetry/Picture book. 4-10)ers sprout beneath its chin. Subtle, sophisticated, and quite charming. (Poetry/Picture book. 4-10)"

Gr 1-4-A colorful and clever assemblage of 21 animals, from the walrus (The pounding spatter/Of salty sea/ makes the walrus/Walrusty.'') to the kiwi (Wings so small./No tail at all./ Very rare./Feathers like hair./Quiet and shy./Cannot fly./They call you a bird,/But I don't know why.''). Each brief poem employs an Ogden Nashian twist of language, a small surprise, or a happy insight into the familiar. The book's design is as appealing as the verses themselves, pairing each selection with a full-page, splashy, bordered watercolor. Large type, surrounded by plenty of white space, will appeal to younger readers. This collection is an uncluttered, short presentation by an author/illustrator who knows what children will find funny-add to that the bonus of factual information tucked into each poem, and the result is a winner. It's easy to imagine readers becoming inspired to write and illustrate their own poems after spending time with Florian. Clearly a wonderful book.- Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI