Let's Have a Bite!

Gr 1—5—Thirty-three comic poems feature animals ranging from the exotic ("Theodore's Great Pitch," about a lemur brush salesman) to the fanciful ("The Chocolate Bunny") to the familiar ("Daniel Spaniel"). Some, like "Il Gatto," are clever: "An Italian cat is il gatto/Their word for big is grosso...." It continues in this vein, and by the end of the poem readers will know how to say, "The big bad cat is very fat!"—in Italian. A few of the verses lack an easy flow and maybe need to be practiced a time or two before reading aloud. In "Bug Thugs," readers are advised, "So, if you're itchy, never travel/To a place where on your arrival/You need a backscratcher for survival." It's not graceful enough for good poetry and not clunky enough for a clever tongue twister. Searle's zany watercolor and ink cartoons add considerable humor. In fact, in some cases the images outshine the writing. With so many colorful, funny poetry books available, this one should be considered an additional purchase.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL