In Douglas Florian's latest menagerie of twenty-one original poems and paintings, readers will be laughing out loud at the sheer silliness of his animal observations. With mammals ranging from the howling coyote and the wood-chopping beaver to the daring ibex and the speedy tiger, here is a zooful of furry fun like no other! The fifth book in a celebrated animal poetry collection series from a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award winner • Twenty-one poems and paintings that blend humor with scientific information •Companion to the immensely popular insectlopedia, a Publishers Weekly children's bestseller that delighted Daniel Pinkwater's audience on National Public Radio
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Douglas Florian--creator of Insectlopedia, In the Swim, and other poetic tributes to creatures great and small--turns his unbounded talent for wordplay and shameless punnery to the order of mammals in Mammalabilia. We'll let "The Aardvarks" speak for itself:
Aardvarks aare odd.
Aardvarks aare staark.
Aardvarks look better
By faar in the daark.
Twenty-one short, original poems and splendid paintings celebrate (or jovially mock) animals from giraffes ("Rubber necker/ Double-decker/ Cloud-checker/ Star-trekker") to porcupines. The illustrations--painted in gouache on primed brown paper bags--are as tongue-in-cheek as his words; the coyote howls with visible "o's," the otter bathes in a claw-foot tub reading a book called "H20," and the rhebok is sporting sneakers. A pure pleasure for poetry fans and animal lovers alike, Mammalabilia is a welcome addition to the Florian fold. (All ages) --Karin Snelson
From Publishers Weekly
Like Florian's Insectlopedia, this collection of 21 short light verse brims with whimsy and fun. He plays with the double A in aardvark ("Aardvarks look better/ By faar in the daark") and the growling R in an ode to the tiger. In "The Bactrian Camel" the entire text of the poem forms the shape of a camel's back: "Mr. Bactrian, a question for you--about your back: one lump or two?" Many of the entries are one-liners--"Some people wear fur coats of lynx./ I/ think/ that/ stynx." More developed verse recalls Ogden Nash ("I state more emphatic:/ An otter's aquatic"). Florian's humor is eccentric, but just right for his target audience. The gouache illustrations painted on primed brown paper bags, full of unusual textures and inventive designs, match the creativity of the word play. The otter lounges in a claw-foot bathtub reading a book titled H2O. Florian specializes in the unexpected. For instance, the rhebok stands in its tennis shoes because its "main/ Claim to fame/ Is its name." The artwork taps into childlike qualities without being simplistic; the animal portraits are clever yet appropriate. An irresistible homage to mammal memorabilia. Ages 5-10. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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More About the Author
Douglas Florian is the creator of many acclaimed picture books including Dinothesaurus, which received starred reviews in four major publications, Comet, Stars, The Moon and Mars, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and Horn Book Fanfare List selection; Bow Wow Meow Meow, winner of the Gryphon Award and a Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year; and Lizards, Frogs and Polliwogs, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book. He lives with his family in New York.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unmammabiliable!,
By A Customer
This review is from: mammalabilia (Hardcover)
I look forward every year to Douglas Florian's latest poetic subject matter and am never disappointed! Mammalabilia is delightful stuff; brilliant, original, hilarious, and even educational...Keep up the great work!
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
good, but not his best,
By sudphoto "sud" (CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: mammalabilia (Hardcover)
While the poems are fun and engaging, there is far less scientific information given than in some of his other works. "The Beaver" is a brilliant four line (four hyphenated words) poem packed with information, while "The Aardvarks" relays nothing except some clever spellings. If you must pick only one Douglas Florian book, "Beast Feast" or "Insectlopedia" would be much better choices.
18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
cool mammals,
By A Customer
This review is from: mammalabilia (Hardcover)
Mammalabilia is a great dealia. That's how I fealia. It really has zealia
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Mr. Bactrian, a question for you-about your back: one lump or two? Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Mr. Bactrian, a question for you-about your back: one lump or two? Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 2
books:
- on the wing by Douglas Florian in Back Flap
- in the swim by Douglas Florian in Back Flap
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