Cock-a-Doodle-Moo: A Mixed Up Menagerie

Cock-a-Doodle-Moo: A Mixed Up Menagerie

Introduces children to an assortment of strange hybrid creatures, such as the Tortare--the tortoise and the hare--and their unique traits and talents through an illustrated collection of short-and-simple poems.From School Library JournalKindergarten-Grade 5--Readers are in for a wild and imaginative treat complete with alarmingly believable hybrid creatures. DuQuette begins by introducing several wondrous beasts from mythology: the griffin (lion and eagle), the kappa (monkey and tortoise), the hippocampus (horse and dolphin), and the cockatrice (rooster and serpent). A spread at the end provides more information about these examples and introduces a few more. The bulk of the book features the author's own creations. The "Mosquiphant," for example, has a "stinging trunk [that] will leave a lump/that's bigger than your head"; the "Mouscodile" skips the cheese and eats the cat; and the "Snorse," a horse/snail combination, "takes three days to round the track." The creatures are described in short, funny verses and brilliantly illustrated in watercolor-and-gouache paintings that are sure to elicit gasps and giggles. The collection ends with an invitation: "Of all the animals we could combine,/what kind of creatures would you design?/Let your imagination run free./Create your own menagerie." Most children will find such a challenge hard to resist, and teachers will find many creative ways to share the book with students.--Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WICopyright