Around the World on Eighty Legs: Animal Poems

A fun, fresh animal journey!

Pack your bags and put on your travelin' shoes! There's an animal adventure waiting for you! Awake with the HOWLER MONKEYS, twist into a pretzel like a QUETZAL, hang with a SLOTH, be will-nilly like a CHINCHILLA. Squawk with an AUK, bump your rump like a CAMEL, be silly with a BILBY, and drift off to sleep in the deep of the OUTBACK. Fun-filled and fact-packed, AROUND THE WORLD ON EIGHTY LEGS is the ticket for an unforgettable adventure!

YAK
The yakkity yakkity yakkity yak-
Why is it the yak never answers you back?
To a yak, nothing's worse
Than to have to converse-
The yakkity yakkity yak.

Customer Reviews:

Great book for the classroom!

By Margaret Lim - March 28, 2011

I am a elementary classroom teacher, and I am finding that this book has so many applications to the classroom! My Kindergarten students are learning about the oceans of the world right now, and we are having a great time reading the poems about oceans animals. The kids love the rhymes and the way the animals come alive through the poetry (like in the poem "Auk"). My little scientists, who love learning facts about animals, are soaking up the book too. Some, for example, pointed out that the poem "Krill" tells us about ocean food chains. Soon we'll be studying the rainforest, and I can't wait to use this book to introduce the animals of the rainforest. I can also see how this book would be great for kids writing animal reports, for a study on the continents, and definitely for teaching the art of poetry writing.

I found out recently that Amy Gibson also has a website that offers many classroom applications in language arts, writing, math, science, and more. Check it... read more

Love this book!!!

By JRW - March 26, 2011

This book is cleverly written. The mix of fun language and fact is perfect for kids and adults alike. My wife's students wanted to do more research about the animals right away, and my two children fight over who gets to read it first. The illustrations match the whimsical feel of the poems to create a book that we'll read over and over for many years to come.

Lovely Gem of a Book

By John R. Bruning - April 14, 2011

Beautifully crafted prose, priceless illustrations and a storyline that not only will engage children but teach them about the world's many critters, Amy Gibson's book is a signature accomplishment. She has a unique and lovely style of poetry that will warm hearts of young and old. This is a book to read to your children over a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy day. Not to be missed.