Bibliography:
Florian, Douglas. 1994. Beast Feast. Orlando, Florida. Harcourt Brace & Co. ISBN 0-15-295178-4.
Plot Summary:
Every species of animal has something special and unique about it, and in the book, Beast Feast, Douglas Florian captures the oddities of beasts with clever rhyme. The author has also used elements of concrete poetry to better illustrate the characteristics of many of the animals, as seen in “The Sloth.”
Up in a tree/ The shaggy sloth/ Is hanging by its claws./ It doesn’t like to move at
All./ It only likes to p a u s e.
The use of spacing in the word pause is a nice visual clue that signals the reader to slow the word down, and it creates a strong mental image of the slow sloth.
Florian has illustrated the book with delightful watercolors reminiscent of child-art.
Critical Analysis:
Clever puns and wordplay abound in this beastly feast of poetry. Children are sure to enjoy Florian’s quick-witted humor as he breathes personality into many animals that are least loved such as the mole, sloth, pigeon, and rhea. For example, “The Mole”:
The mole digs a hole with its toes/ With help from its long pointed nose./ By
Digging so thorough/ It makes a deep burrow/ In which it can dreamily doze./
Its ears are not easily found/ But perfect for picking up sound./ Though virtually
Blind/ The mole doesn’t mind--/ There’s not much to see underground.
This poetry book is easy to love and enjoy. The subject matter is easily accessible and of high-interest. The experience of reading these poems may even encourage youngsters to write their own beastly poem!
Review Excerpts:
From Publishers Weekly
Florian ( Monster Motel ; Vegetable Garden ) indeed presents a feast--for the eyes and the ears--in this cheerful collection of brief, bouncy poems describing an eclectic roundup of animals. Each focusing on a single "beast," the entries range from snappy two-liners ("The rhea rheally isn't strange-- / It's just an ostrich, rhearranged") to relatively longer poems of cleverly rhymed couplets. Florian's distinctive, full-page watercolors are as playful as his verse: a chameleon (whose hue changes "from mousy browns to leafy greens / And several colors in between") holds an artist's palette and paintbrush; and the "tubby toad" (who is "so squat and plump / That rarely does it even jump") weighs in on a bathroom scale. An ideal read-aloud, this volume will leave young listeners as lighthearted as its own contents. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-A colorful and clever assemblage of 21 animals, from the walrus ("The pounding spatter/Of salty sea/ makes the walrus/Walrusty.") to the kiwi ("Wings so small./No tail at all./ Very rare./Feathers like hair./Quiet and shy./Cannot fly./They call you a bird,/But I don't know why."). Each brief poem employs an Ogden Nashian twist of language, a small surprise, or a happy insight into the familiar. The book's design is as appealing as the verses themselves, pairing each selection with a full-page, splashy, bordered watercolor. Large type, surrounded by plenty of white space, will appeal to younger readers. This collection is an uncluttered, short presentation by an author/illustrator who knows what children will find funny-add to that the bonus of factual information tucked into each poem, and the result is a winner. It's easy to imagine readers becoming inspired to write and illustrate their own poems after spending time with Florian. Clearly a wonderful book.
Lee Bock, Brown County Public Libraries, Green Bay, WI
Review Accessed at:
Connections:
Florian, Douglas. 2007. Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars: Space Poems and Paintings. Harcourt Children’s Books. ISBN 0152053727.
Florian, Douglas. 2002. Insectlopedia. Voyager Books. ISBN 0152163352.
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