Official Review: A-Z of Animal Limericks by Kate Condon

[bookowlie]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A-Z of Animal Limericks" by Kate Condon.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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A to Z of Animal Limericks is a poetry collection written by Kate Condon and illustrated by Mr. 7 (I assume that’s his pen name). It is a 138-page book of limericks that are grouped in alphabetical order by the first letter of the featured animal. Most of the sections feature 5-10 limericks.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with this poetry style, a limerick is a 5-line poem in which lines 1, 2 and 5 rhyme and lines 3 and 4 rhyme. Normally, lines 1, 2, and 5 should each contain 7-10 syllables and lines 3 and 4 should have 5-7 syllables each. This type of poetry is supposed to be funny in a nonsensical sort of way. Usually, a limerick starts with the phrase “There once was a,” but that’s not the case in this book.

I enjoyed this light-hearted collection. Some of the limericks contain clever phrasing and others made me laugh out loud. One of the standouts is about a boy who took a flea to school. After his schoolmates called him a fool, he got the last laugh as they began itching.

There is a wide range of animals included in the book. Although common animals are represented, there are a number of unusual animals, too. I was pleasantly surprised to read about creatures I never even heard of, such as cormorant, lyrebird, and okapi.

The black-and-white sketched illustrations are limited to an animal associated with the letter at the beginning of each grouping; a very small version of the same picture is also shown on each page of the same category. I was disappointed that there were not more pictures throughout the story and that they weren’t in color. The humorous aspect of this type of poetry lends itself well to accompanying artwork. I thick colorful pictures for at least some of the limericks would have greatly enhanced the reading experience.

The humor is apparent, although some parts might be too sophisticated for children. Many of the words are advanced, such as anthropomorphise, flayed, fuselage, and hirsute. Also, since there aren’t any illustrations that relate to specific limericks, it’s confusing when an unfamiliar animal is discussed.

Although the book is geared for all ages, I would think the alphabet format would be appeal to kids more than adults. However, be warned one of the limericks contains language completely unsuitable for children, even though the phrase is shown as an acronym. As a result, it would be better for parents to read this book aloud to children, so that they can skip over that limerick.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The poems are light-hearted and provide a nice escape from more serious reading. If illustrations would have been added for at least some of the limericks, I think it would have made the book more enjoyable. That being said, the sketched illustrations at the beginning of each section are beautifully detailed. I would recommend this book to readers who appreciate silly poetry. However, some of the limericks may be difficult for children to understand due to the sophisticated word choices and phrasing.

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A-Z of Animal Limericks
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[Sahani Nimandra]

A book as this needs to have a captivating illustration through each page. It is not only about the content it is also the way how you present the content. Very informative. Thank you for your review!

[gen_g]

Thank you for your amazing and informative review! It seems like a lighthearted and fun read to while away some time.

[Suzy1611]

Limericks are sometimes funny and cute. And a added plus for the sketches.
Thanks for the age appropriate mentions, and a good review.

[gali]

A a poetry collection written in the format of limericks sounds nice. I agree that the alphabet format would appeal to kids more than adults. Is it a kids' book? It is odd that some of the limericks contain unsuitable language for children. Too bad there were not enough illustrations. Not my cup of tea, but I am glad you enjoyed it. Splendid review!

[Marissa Michael]

Sounds interesting. I think it might be good idea to have some sophisticated words to improve the children's vocabulary if their parent or the guardian is willing to offer explanation to them. However, too many sophisticated words than the easy ones can cause frustration to the children from enjoying this book. As for me, I hope I will be given the chance to read this book to unleash my childishness. Thank you for such informative review.

[bookowlie]

Thanks everyone! It would have been better to include an illustration for each poem rather than one small picture of an animal for each alphabet letter. Kids would love having more artwork, plus several of the animals written about are not common. Having a picture would help identifiy what type of animal it is.

[Helen_Combe]

Great review, it sounds like a book for adults who are in touch with their inner child, rather than a children’s book.

[kandscreeley]

It does sound like more pictures would have been better. Still, it sounds like a fun collection and a great introduction to limericks! Glad you got to review this one. Thanks for your introduction to the book.

[Samantha Simoneau]

I'm not thrilled about the 1 inappropriate-for-kids limerick, although, to be fair, there is a tradition of limericks being inappropriate and this book doesn't claim to be for kids in the first place. I still think this sounds like it would be so much fun to read aloud to my kids. Thanks for the great review!

[Nmesoma]

Learning about animals with poetry? Yeah, who wouldn't want that. Thanks for your detailed review; it was over the top

[daniya__shah3]

This sounds like a cute and interesting read, reminds me of the time when I used to read limericks and haikus as a kid.

[bookowlie]

I'm not thrilled about the 1 inappropriate-for-kids limerick, although, to be fair, there is a tradition of limericks being inappropriate and this book doesn't claim to be for kids in the first place. I still think this sounds like it would be so much fun to read aloud to my kids. Thanks for the great review!

I agree there is a tradition for limericks to be bawdy, but the acronym I am referring is wildy inappropriate (a curse word). While it's true that the book is specifically labelled for kids, it seems like the subject matter is more for children as the book is in an alphabet format and all about animals.

[bookowlie]

I just noticed an error in my review. Hanging my head in shame...

[Samantha Simoneau]

I just noticed an error in my review. Hanging my head in shame...

Been there - but we're our own worst critics, so no worries.