A ZOOFUL OF ANIMALS
edited by William Cole & illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
A welcome companion to A Zooful of Animals (1978): 45 poems, from sources old and new, many of them spread over several pages as Munsinger elaborates on the humor in loving detail. Whether capturing the bemused expressions of a kangaroo and an opossum comparing notes on being marsupials, following the comical disasters in Daniel Pettiward's ``Pets,'' or presenting A. B. Paterson's lonely ``Old Man Platypus,'' she brings imagination, a perceptive eye, and warm good humor to her appealing pen and watercolor illustrations. Cole has rounded up a fine supply of poems, mostly humorous; a few provide a welcome challenge with their vocabulary and intricate rhythms (e.g., Geoffrey Dearmer's ``The Giraffe,'' which merrily echoes W. S. Gilbert); most have a more immediate popular appeal. A winning collection. (Note: as is customary, the acknowledgments serve the legalities but frustrate the reader who cares about sources. Dates would be nice; so would designating poems first published here.) Index. (Poetry/Picture book. 3-10)