Monkeys Write Terrible Letters

Spilka, Arnold

ISBN 10: 1563971321 ISBN 13: 9781563971327

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, 1994

Synopsis

Gathers humorous poems about monkeys, elephants, dogs, frogs, giraffes, tigers, zebras, turtles, seals, chimpanzees, and hippos

About this title

Reviews

Grade 3-5-Spilka has gathered 27 of his own nonsense poems about animals (14 of which have appeared in earlier books) and illustrated them with lively pastel drawings. Several selections are lists using puns or wordplay to describe creatures ("...a dead bee is a was," "A kingeroo is the leader of the kangaroos...", etc.) and others play around with the animals' distinctive characteristics. Some have the lilting cadences and silly juxtapositions of good nonsense verse while others don't flow smoothly and seem to stretch a point. Spilka's drawings have a childlike quality reminiscent of Marc Chagall's work. They use blends of colors, outline, and unexpected arrangements that are entirely in keeping with the poetry. Libraries that have Emma Chichester Clark's I Never Saw a Purple Cow (Little, 1991), William Cole's Oh, That's Ridiculous! (Puffin, 1988), or Spilka's earlier collections may not need this purchase; others may find it a lighthearted addition.
Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
• Publication date: 1994
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1563971321
• ISBN 13: 9781563971327
• Binding: Library Binding
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32