DuQuette, Keith. 2004. COCK-A-DOODLE-MOOOO! New York: Putnam. ISBN 0399238891 [Suggested Grade Levels K-4]
REVIEW
From the Griffin and the Hippocampus to the Cooster and the Mouscodile, this mixed-up menagerie brings new creatures to life. The wondrous beasts of ancient mythology are an introduction to this imaginary land. The Griffin, a lion/eagle that guarded treasure, the Kappa, a monkey/tortoise that was feared by children, the Hippocampus, a horse/dolphin that was ridden by the god of the sea, and the Cockatrice, a rooster/serpent with poisoned breath, are shown on the first page and challenge readers to imagine the possibilities of other mixed-up creatures.
DuQuette offers 24 animals that are combined to make 12 haphazard, amusing creatures that are described in rhyming verse. The unlikely pairing of the parrot and gorilla forms the Parilla, who is large and green and wants your lunch, the snail and horse form the Snorse, who races at molasses paces. The impossibilities and clever word play keep the pages turning. With the torso of a poodle, and the tentacles of a squid, the Squoodle swims across the page in search of shampoo. The Mosquiphant, with its stinging trunk, is too fat to fly. The Mouscodile skips the cheese and eats the cat. And the Cooster crows “cock-a-doodle mooo, I’ve got milk for you.”
The realistic watercolor and gouache illustrations bleed off the page with vivid, appealing color and DuQuette uses the last two pages to illustrate 24 new creatures to play with, and to list other animal combinations found in myths and legends from around the world.
CONNECTIONS
Provide pictures of animals, or stuffed animals for a more tactile experience, and have children randomly pick two and illustrate the creature that would result from a combination of the two.
Find animal pictures where the animals are roughly the same size and cut each picture in half, shuffle the pictures, then have the children pick one front end and one back end to combine. Have them write a paragraph or short poem about the resulting creature’s characteristics.
RELATED BOOKS
Other books about unlikely animals combinations:
DuQuette, Keith. HOTEL ANIMAL. ISBN 067085056X
Prelutsky, Jack. SCRANIMALS. ISBN 0688178200
By Tammy Korns
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