The Horn Book Guide

LITERATURE

Swinburne, Stephen R.

Boxing Rabbits, Bellowing Alligators: Courtship Poems from the Animal World

32 pp. | Lerner/Millbrook | July, 2002 | Library ISBN 0-7613-2556-5 $$23.90

(3) K-3 Short poems focus on the courtship rituals of twelve different animals. For example, the alligator "make[s] the water sizzle like soda," and the whooping crane puts on its "best bird ballet show." Illustrated with color photos and followed by additional facts about each animal, this is an interesting introduction to animal mating rituals. While of limited use for school reports, this may catch browsers' interest.

Reviewer: Beth L. Meister