BIBLIOGRAPHY
Florian, Douglas. 2002. ZOOBILATIONS! Ill. by Douglas Florian. New York: Beach Lane Books. ISBN 9781534465909
PLOT SUMMARY
This collection of poems showcases different animals from the animal kingdom. Each page contains interesting illustrations and clever puns from a weasel showing his winter coat, tall giraffes reaching their necks high in the sky to a boastin orangutan swinging from tree to tree.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The book has a clean two- page design for each poem. One page entails the poem and the other the illustration of the animal described in the poem. This animal kingdom topical collection of poems is appropriate for the lower elementary audience with its fun and natural rhymed lines and verses. Some poems are written in couplets while others are free verse; both types are arranged with a rhythm that fits the words to give meaning to the poem. Most of the poems have a meter of one syllable words with the rhyming word at the end of each line. This is appealing to the lower elementary audience as it catches their attention and invites them to participate. In “The Llama '' we see each clever word play as each line repeats “Llamas llike,” some alliteration at the end where “Llamas love the letter L,” and ll is used for any word with the letter l.
There is assonance throughout the poems, in “Horses” we hear the repetition of vowels “Horses graze / and horses race./ Horses trot/ and horses pace. “The African Elephant” creatively describes the physical features of the elephant with similes for its trunk, “My trunk can trumpet like a horn.” The poems describe interesting facts about the familiar and less-known animals while using fun word play and fun drawings with its kid-like coloring for the illustrations. The Hammerhead’s illustration ironically demonstrates it nailing down its prey as the poem creatively uses language in a fun way that appeals to children. Moving from page to page, the poems are light and refreshing as there is a creative twist to each animal and their unique features. The antelope’s refreshing couplet “I wanted to write a poem about an antelope/ but I cantaloupe,” naturally evokes laughter which is a common feeling throughout this collection of animal poems.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)/ AWARDS
*Booklist, 03/01/22
*Horn Book Magazine, 03/01/22
Booklist, (March 1, 2022 (Vol. 118, No. 13)): “It’s beastly fun, as usual, whether read silently or bellowed aloud.”
Horn Book Magazine, (March/April, 2022): “Florian’s experimentation with word meaning and usage models how to have fun with writing, imagery, and verse.”
CONNECTIONS
-This collection of poems made me smile so much as I read through each one. I was so fascinated with the Antelope poem because of its pun that was short, yet had me laughing so much. I felt the power of poetry in this book.
-Lower elementary students will benefit from this collection of animal poetry by listening to it aloud by an adult.
-Engaging students to participate by acting like the animals will make for a fun dramatic extension to each poem.
-Students can attempt to create their own poem on their favorite animal and create a drawing using crayons to reflect their poem.
*Other books about animal poetry:
*Moore, Natalia. ANIMAL POEMS (POEMS JUST FOR ME). ISBN 978-1-53797-856-7
*Stone, Tiffany. BAAAAD ANIMALS. ISBN 978-1-896580-36-4
*Lewis, J. Patrick. MY HOME IN THE RAINFOREST (ROOKIE POETRY: ANIMAL HOMES) ISBN 978-0-531-23008-4
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