Zany Zoo

February 27, 2006
Wise (Ten Sly Piranhas
) serves up 25 poems about animals whose behavior is wacky mostly because it's so recognizably human: the subjects range from a pair of Little League-playing elephants to a gaggle of untalented geese who decide to mount a production of Hamlet
. Those who enjoy over-the-top humor will most appreciate the plays on words: a "panda-monium" describes a raucous fiesta of the black-and-white bears, while "a social cat-astrophe" results when a feline's disco pants split in public. There's enough verbal bounce to amuse young ears, and Wise not only entertains but challenges children with his use of vocabulary: "Young Carlos was a crocodile,/ A species known for strength and guile./ 'Of me,' he cried, 'let all be wary!/ I 'm the ruler of this estuary!' " Munsinger (the Tacky the Penguin books) helps provide a visual context for figuring out the unknown words, and proves once again that, when it comes to imagining anthropomorphized animals, she has few peers. No matter what species she puts her pen to, the result is always a creation that's at once touching and tickling. Ages 4-8.

August 1, 2006
K-Gr 4 - -Panda-monium - reigns in this hilarious and pun-filled book of rhymes. Deftly animated with Munsinger -s distinctive pictures of animals, all 25 poems introduce a familiar phrase and painlessly stretch the vocabulary. Words such as -prodigious, - -estuary, - and -purloined - are presented in context with descriptive pictures that make intuiting their meaning possible. Grown-ups might find some of the humor a bit cheesy, but it is hard not to laugh when geese attempt Shakespeare and put on a -truly fowl play - or a -real cool - feline experiences -social cat-astrophe - when his disco duds split at the seams. However, some of the references are beyond the experience of most children. For example, when Hope the hyena, a dancer, is too scary when performing as the Sugar Plum Fairy, she is -switched -&to Faust/And the regions infernal. - Fortunately, the text and artwork allow youngsters to enjoy the verse without completely grasping the occasional adult-oriented details. Wise also incorporates some unusual creatures into his amusing menagerie, including Yuri the yak, Gertrude the agouti, a tapir, and terns. This book is a fantastic tool for sharing literature and language with a humorous and dramatic flare. It -s sure to appeal to a wide audience." -Piper L. Nyman, formerly at Fairfield Civic Center Library, CA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2006
K-Gr. 2. Exuberant wordplay fuels this animal-themed collection of light verse (classified as fiction rather than poetry), in which seabirds demonstrate that "one good tern deserves another," a watermelon-loving dog is a "melon collie," and a skunk smelling of cologne discovers that "it pays to have good scents." Many of the 25 poems are built around an old saying, offering an amusing introduction to figures of speech, especially when an adult is nearby to explain unfamiliar phrases. Children may also need help with Wise's frequently sophisticated references (there's a "playboy" who is also a "bon vivant," and one punch line mentions Faust). A few selections give more substantive pause: at one point, the term " lazy sinner" is used more flippantly than will be comfortable to many readers. However, as in the author and illustrator's previous collaboration, " Dinosaurs Forever "(2000), Munsinger will keep kids riveted with her goofy, anthropomorphic illustrations, and the chanting rhythms and spot-on rhymes will perk up listeners even when the humor misses the bull's-eye.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2006
Meet Daisy, a dog who only eats watermelon because "she was a melon collie," or bovine Carlotta who "thoroughly cowed" some trespassing sheep. References to "Hamlet" and "Faust" and puns requiring familiarity with common adages may go over the heads of the intended audience, yet these poems are satisfying to read aloud. The ink and watercolor illustrations give the animals personality.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)