Zoodles - Hardcover

As he did in Pets in Trumpets and There's an Ant in Anthony , Most here indulges in creative wordplay by combining names of animals to devise some unconventional hybrids. "What do you call an elephant that hardly ever gets thirsty?," he asks. A turn of the page reveals the answer, as well as an illustration featuring the two animals whose names are joined together: "A camelephant!" Some of the verbal pairings are more successful and clever than others. Youngsters may find the following a somewhat cumbersome mouthful: "What do you call a 6,000 pound muskrat? A hippopotamuskrat!" Yet most entries roll off the tongue effortlessly--"What do you call a goat that stands on one leg? A flamingoat!" Although Most doesn't present his offbeat animal fusions visually (that is, draw a creature that is part goat and part flamingo), he portrays the various species interacting friskily, apparently enjoying the joke. (The kangaroo on the book's jacket, in fact, is reading Zoodles .) Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kindergarten-Grade 4-- Combining animal names, his love of word play, and a large dose of humor, Most has created 15 "zoodles," riddles that feature one animal with a behavior characteristic of another. The results are hilarious hybrid creations, unknown to Noah, but sure to entertain young audiences with the pleasures of word humor and puns. For instance, "What do you call an elephant that hardly ever gets thirsty?" "A camelephant!" Or, "What do you call a pelican that sings?" "A pelicanary!" While the bright cartoon watercolors will attract young readers of the author's A Dinosaur Named After Me (HBJ, 1991), the word humor will also appeal to the older fans of his There's an Ant in Anthony (Morrow, 1980). A delightful addition to any collection, it also will be useful for creative writing projects. What do you call a book entitled Zoodles ? A must! --Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, Wheeler School, Providence, RI
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.