I've very much enjoyed other books by Wallace Edwards - the pictures in Monkey Business and Cat's Pajamas are to die for, imo.

This one... hm... the beasts themselves actually, to be honest, nauseate me. Even though it's out of character for me to say this, I must: they're abominations.

Otoh the details in the pictures are wonderful. Just on the first few pages I already adore the King Crab, the Dandy-lion, the Tiger Lily....

The verses bore me.

Be sure to follow Professor Julius Duckworth O'Hare, Esq." (who happens to bear an uncanny resemblance to Alice's White Rabbit) from picture to picture.

Spend time with it. See if you can spot all the extra details in the pictures. The other 'mixed beasts' (like the King Crab etc.) are in an appendix, so you can go back and find the ones you missed. But there are other details in the pix, too. For example, I'm confident the ducks crossing the road in front of the the Flamingocart (which, btw, is a fail, as the Flamingo is mixed with nothing but is just riding a pair of wheels) are an homage to Make Way for Ducklings. In any case, despite all the flaws of this book, I have to rate it highly. I want posters from the other books so I can view them every day, but even this book is worth buying to pull of the shelf for several rereads." ( )

Interesting, but a little weird. Good for people who enjoy the weird.

Stunning whimsical hybrid animal illustrations accompanying century-old versus from Kenyon Cox (1904).

Odd combinations of animals, like the rhinocerestrich, with poetic descriptions and beautiful illustrations. Great just to look at or use as inspiration for activity. ( )