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Rating: 
Summary: Kirkus Review
Review: Kirkus Reviews
Between portraits of a griffin, cockatrice, and other portmanteau creatures from world folklore, DuQuette sandwiches a dozen big, precisely detailed, fanciful hybrids of his own, from a furred-and-feathered "Cooster" (cow rooster) perched on a-fortunately sturdy-fence rail, to a coterie of fluffy pink "Squoodles" (squid poodle) drifting elegantly through turquoise waters. Each creation comes with pocket-sized portraits of its antecedents, plus a rib-tickling rhymed caption: combine a parrot with a gorilla, and, " 'Parilla wants a banana.' / 'Parilla wants a bunch.' / And then he wants your breakfast, / and then he wants your lunch!" Taking Ellen Stern's pedestrian I Saw a Bullfrog (2003) to the next level, each visual element here blends smoothly, ingeniously, into the next. Not only does this make an inviting lead-in to Peter S's's similar flights of fancy in Jack Prelutsky's Scranimals (2002), but may well induce young viewers to take up DuQuette's invitation, and craft a few "mythical" animals of their own. (Picture book. 7-11)
Rating:
Summary: imaginative learning experience for all ages
Review: Who can resist a squoodle or a cooster? I found this book to inspire word play as well as visual creativity even beyond the ones in the book. I also learned more about mythyological animals and their stories. The clever rhymes give these mixed up animals character and personalily and made me laugh. I highly recommend this mixed up menagerie for children as well as adults.
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