A child's primer of fantastic animals

"I like the fretful porcupine Deception is not in his line. With him there is no make believe, He wears his thorns upon his sleeve. The fascinating assortment of beasts in these whimsical verses has delighted generations of young readers. Consider the useful ant "who has no time to gallivant"; the noble horse, whose virtues "are too numerous to tell, save when you have a horse to sell" and the geese beneath a tree, gathered around the goose-girl's knee, "while she reads them by the hour from the works of Schopenhauer." Forty-eight poems, each accompanied by a vibrant two-color illustration, ponder swan songs, crocodile tears, leopards incapable of changing their spots, and other captivating notions associated with the animal kingdom. Author and illustrator Oliver Herford (1863-1935), known as "The American Oscar Wilde," enjoyed international renown as an artist and wit. His timeless drawings and rhymes brought a unique perspective and a richness of imagination to children's literature that can be appreciated by readers of all ages"--