This collection of poetry selected by Jack Prelutsky encompasses the beauty, power and grace of the entire animal kingdom.  From bumblebees to earthworms to whales, animals both common and exotic are given a section of poetry that focuses on their species. 

Sections are labeled creatively.  Insects, for example, are given the short introduction:  "In trillions we thrive/ cased in exoskeletons/ ubiquitous motes." 

The poems are more literary in nature than some collections.  It includes such poets as Theodore Roethke, William Carlos Williams, and D.H. Lawrence, along with more familiar children's poets such as Eve Merriam and Margaret Wise Brown.  Some poems are more diffulcult in nature than others; in general the collection has a nice balance.  

The layout and size of the poems is welcoming and not too intimidating to a young reader.  Most of the poems are short, and if one poem does not suit you, it is easy to move along to the next one.  Lion by Barbara Juster Esbensen and The Serpent's Hiss by Eve Merriam are two particularly enjoyable poems because their shape and format enhance the language of the poem.  The alliteration in The Serpent's Hiss is perfect (sliding over stones / sleek as silk / sequestered / surreptitious) and catches any reader's attention.  In the poem Lion, the author is saying that a lion is aptly named because your jaw (and the lion's jaw) practically unhinge when saying the word "LION."  The line break between the syllables LI and ON make the reader literally feel the poem and the meaning, particularly when comparing the animal name of LION versus FLEA.  The difference is in the jaws!

The illustrations float in and out of the text, lending color and life to the page.  The spread of the hummingbird and cardinal are brilliant and bright while the spread of leopards and lions convey movement, power and strength.

This collection is wonderfully selected and of a high literary merit.  While some children might be lost in some of the language, they will enjoy the illustrations and be enriched by reading this work.  And they just might discover a new favorite poet that they have never been exposed to before.