"This author/illustrator team has created a zany and definitely peculiar zoo book. Choosing 16 lesser-known animals such as the Okapi, Manatee and Solenodon, Clark has filled each large, double-page horizontal spread with a humorous watercolor-and-ink depiction of an animal. Polisar's witty poems describe the unique characteristics of each creature. The verses are informative and thought-provoking, as well as funny. Ideal for group, individual and lap reading, this selection should spark interest in extinct and endangered animals and their habitats. A short glossary gives concise facts about each animal."

School Library Journal

"If you're not familiar with Barry Polisar's enchanting yet loony brand of children's poetry, try his books. There's nothing sugary about Polisar's writing. Zany and somewhat sophisticated, Polisar's poetry is a great way to show the child interested in poetry how much fun you can have writing verse. But it's also an education about the topic of his rhymes."

First Coast Parent
Jacksonville, Florida

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Peculiar Zoo

by Barry Louis Polisar

illustrated by David Clark

$14.95, 32 p. color illustrated.

ISBN# 0-938663-14-3

Written entirely in verse, Peculiar Zoo is filled with intriguing facts about an extraordinary array of uncommon animals from Dik-Diks to Zebus. Young readers will discover the Numbat, who has more teeth than any other animal, but swallows his food whole; the Proboscis Monkey with its long nose that it must move out of the way in order to eat; and the Naked Mole Rat, who is pictured stretched out on a divan, shielding herself with feathers. Featured in Ranger Rick Nature Magazine in a special two page spread, this bestiary goes far beyond "A is for Ant and B is for Bear" and ventures into a delightful world of truly exotic and unusual animals. "Polisar fans will be delighted," writes Publishers Weekly. "His sly rhymes inform the reader even as they poke fun at their subjects." The poems in this book were featured on Barbara Bush's national radio show on ABC, Mrs. Bush's Story Time. The witty and thought provoking poems and illustrations introduce children to some of the oddest creatures in the animal kingdom, including many rare and endangered species.

Sample Illustrations

	You'll never see one take a bow At some recital hall, And yet the other warthogs Still love them, warts and all.
	Huddled close together Against the slow and sleet Penguins at the Pole Pool their body heat.
	I wonder if the zebu Who often is excluded Ever feels depressed or sad When he is not included.