Hoofbeats, Claws & Rippled Fins: Creature Poems - Hardcover

(*Starred Review*) Gr. 3-7. Readers won't find sentimental odes to new puppies or baskets of cozy kittens here. These 14 poems, inspired by artist Stephen Alcorn's masterful woodcuts, celebrate animals in all their bizarre shapes and fierce wildness. From the bouncy, rhymed couplets of Lillian Fisher's "Camel" ("His body is lumpy, / knees calloused and bumpy") to the single line of contemplative free verse in Tony Johnston's "Iguana," the poems, most by well-known poets, range widely in style and tone. Many assume an animal's first-person voice with powerful immediacy; others are more layered and atmospheric. But each selection centers around physical images of the animals' distinctive movement, body, and personality, often echoed in inventive line shapes, such as the small, rounded lumps of print in "Here's Frog." Alcorn's frequently monochromatic, patterned images may seem static and less expressive than the words to some readers. But as in Jan Greenberg's Heart to Heart (Booklist's 2002 Top of the List--Youth Nonfiction), the artwork doesn't literally interpret the poetry; it stands alone, inviting readers to find their own stories within the handsome images. A rich and satisfying collection that will be used widely across the curriculum. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved