Children's Literature - Meredith Kiger
There's nothing tame about this book of verse featuring thirteen of your favorite jungle animals. Bold colors and oversized drawings add excitement to the humorous text, which describes the antics of lions, zebras, gorillas, elephants, and so on. The rhyming text makes it perfect for reading aloud.
School Library Journal - School Library Journal
PreS--A collection of poems about animals and a story about a journey through the jungle to hunt for them. The search begins as a small group of ants marches off from their hill early in the morning. A verse then introduces each creature as encountered, until the end of the day when all of the animals are ready to sleep. As an added bonus, each poem gives a little information about the animal described. A nice rhythm is established and maintained. An occasional line is awkward, but overall the book reads well. The illustrations are equally playful and eye-catching. Done in oils, each one is bright, bold, and inviting, but totters on the brink of being cute. Large, double-page spreads make the animals easily seen from a distance, but children who view the pictures up close will delight in finding some of the ants on each page. An entertaining selection with lively illustrations and a format suitable for storytimes.--Dawn Ibey, Vancouver Public Library, Canada
Children's Literature - Barbara Wheatley
Enveloped between the introduction and closing pages with three stanzas each, colorful and lively illustrations accompany a fun, rhythmic rhyming text about the animals the reader will meet in the jungle. Each page consists of four to six lines that humorously describe an animal in the jungle. The chimpanzee singing through the trees, the lion who is king of the jungle, and the elephing elephant are the first to meet. The handsome striped zebra, the boa constrictor that is a slippery snake, and the gangly giraffe greet the reader next. The hippopotamus mooching in the mud, the chomping crocodile, and the ravenous rhinoceros lumber through the following pages. Thirteen animals in total are included in this rousing book, which includes text that mimics the animals' antics for the chimpanzee and snake. Wojtowycz's alluring art takes the reader through the jungle from morning to night with animated pictures that will appeal to the intended audience. An added bonus in the illustrations are the tiny ants that occur on every page for the reader to seek and find. Sturdy board pages with curved corners make this an excellent book for younger readers and is an excellent choice for read aloud story time. Reviewer: Barbara Wheatley