The Animal Rescue Store - Hardcover

K-Gr. 3. Swados' latest suite of picture-book poems celebrates the "unwanted animals / abandoned pets" who live in owner Sidney's store. Poems written in varying forms focus on the common and exotic animals in this "vagabond zoo." The uneven rhythms are occasionally jarring, and not every selection in this high-spirited, sometimes nonsensical collection is strong. But the pulsing verse often captures an animal's movement and sound with just a few words. Children will delight in lines that rebel against cuddly animal stereotypes: A "heavy-metal cockatoo" belts out, "Play it for me baby!" while a tough tabby boasts, "I'm a strutter / from the gutter . . . I'm a gangsta with fur." Wilson's spare, playful, naive-style collage art, showing animals and funny-faced humans of all shades, amplifies the rowdy noise in the beats and gleeful rhymes, which beg to be read aloud like rap lyrics. Gillian Engberg
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Grade 2-5–This collection of poetic verse tells the story of Sidney, who runs a special shop in which he takes in and tries to find homes for an eclectic assortment of animals including a buzzard, a llama, and tarantulas. Some of the poems speak from the heart of people of all ages who want pets, or those who just want to look at the curious wildlife. Others tell humorous tales of animal rescue from a variety of venues. Amusing illustrations in mixed-media collage add bold color and a cheerful, rollicking tone to the mix. Many of the selections are clever, well worded, and funny, with lots of sound effects and alliteration, while others have awkward rhythm and rhyme schemes and several go on too long. Adept teachers could use these poems to create a unique and interesting performance piece. Collectively they tell an amusing and sometimes moving tale.–Be Astengo, Alachua County Library, Gainesville, FL