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Edwards, Wallace
6 Reviews
(4)
K-3
Traveling artist Professor I.B. Doodling introduces readers to a dozen mix-and-match creatures, starting with Whalephant (that's "whale" plus "elephant") and ending with Skip (a seven-animal hybrid). The spare accompanying rhymes can be one-size-fits-all (for Whalephant: "Everyone who gets to see him, / secretly would like to be him"), but the particularized, full-page portraits of the hybrids are downright frame-worthy.
Reviewer: Nell Beram
(4)
K-3
"This is the pig in the fancy hat / That tickled the kitten / That drove around in Uncle Wally's old brown shoe." This bizarre "House That Jack Built"–esque cumulative tale adds ever more creatures: a frog with "handy stilts," a musical dog, and finally Uncle Wally himself, a tiger in striped pajamas. Chaotic illustrations are filled with dreamlike details.
Reviewer: Patricia Riley
(3)
K-3
In this entertaining book, Edwards presents a gallery of elaborate animal paintings with sly one-sentence captions. Each picture offers a humorously literal interpretation of idioms such as "cool your heels," "hold your tongue," or "frog in your throat." As a bonus, readers can enjoy searching for the cat hidden in every mixed-media illustration. Explanations of the twenty-six expressions are appended.
Reviewer: Martha Sibert
(4)
K-3
Ringmaster P. T. Vermin and his circus crew present "a parade of performances that will puzzle the peepers." The text's grandstanding narrative, complete with copious exclamation points, matches the exuberance of the optical-illusion illustrations. Most are cleverly executed and not too difficult to see, though readers may have trouble manipulating a few of the pages as intended. A "mysteries revealed" page provides explanations.
Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff
(3)
K-3
Wally's science project proves that dinosaurs are alive. Unfortunately, the D.I.A. (Dinosaur Intelligence Agency) intercepts it to protect "the dinosaur way of life." Groan-inducing puns, silly facts, and vibrant illustrations showcase a parallel world where dinosaurs eat, dress, and behave the same as their human counterparts.
Reviewer: David Elzey
(4)
K-3
Well-known idioms are given literal translation for humorous effect in a volume of painterly animal portraits. A bulldog eating hotdogs represents a "dog eat dog world," while the phrase "put his best foot forward" is illustrated by an octopus dancing. Kids may not know many of the phrases parodied, but the book will get them thinking about the anomalies of colloquial language.
Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta
6 reviews
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