LET'S HAVE A BITE!

Thirty-three poems about antic animals, matched with equally madcap illustrations. "The Zoo VIP (Very Idle Panda)" describes how "The giant panda at the zoo / Just sits and chomps / On fresh bamboo." "A Busy Day for Goslings" follows a mother goose's outing with her brood Pip, Pop, Peep and Squeak. Other highlights include "Natty Nat" (an impeccably dressed narwhal), "Mean Cuisine" (a goat chef who cooks up crazy concoctions from foraged items), "Theodore's Great Pitch" (a lemur door-to-door salesman) and, with a nod to Ogden Nash, "The Rhino's Wine" (a grape-harvesting family led by Amos the rhinoceros): "The wine of Amos is the last word: / Maqnifique in its ferocity: / The essence of rhinocerocity." Bunny, emu, seal, crocodile, dingo, octopus and vole are among the other subjects. Searle's accompanying pictures show most of the animals in action; impish details and busy backgrounds suggest Gahan Wilson or Quentin Blake. The quality of the verse is uneven, but there are several excellent selections in this generous compendium. (Picture book. 4-8)