CORNUCOPIA

by Robert Oliver ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 19, 1978

A nonsense alphabestiary from Ants to Zebu, with Osprey followed by ""Ptwo in the Bush"" (ptarmigan and pterodactyl) and then ""Quinquemaculatus."" Oliver turns out a few fleet limericks, some alliteration (""A hard-of-hearing herring thought he heard a haddock say. . .""), at least one intolerable pun (a kangaroo asks the cook for More-soup-ial), some fanciful spelling play (""Ye gods and tittle fishes. . . [ichthyosaurus] looks vishes""), and much playful rhyme: cantankerous, rancorous, prankerous, and thankerous are matched up in ""The Monkey,"" and ""The Weevil"" ends ""If only millions of years ago this/ Misbegotten/ Voracious insect had/ Forgotten--/ Cotton."" Inconsequential, but cleverer than most, and well served by Belli's fine-line elaborations.

Pub Date: April 19, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1978

Categories: NONFICTION