HIT OR MYTH

by James Riddell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 12, 1969

Mr. Riddell's name is no joke: he is the author of Animal Lore and Disorder (1948) and this is a similar collection of more or less exotic creatures split in the middle for the fun of the incongruity and the follow-up of matching up; as he notes, ""it's just a game of heads and tails."" Fun and games notwithstanding, this is pretty heavy-handed: the creatures are caricatured (see the buck-toothed rabbit, the knobby centaur) and the attitudes are old-fashioned stereotypes (about the dangerous gorilla: ""luckily there aren't many""). Some of the information is equally dated: the panda ""was only very recently discovered in Tibet."" More myths than hits, and a diversionary tactic rather than prime entertainment.

Pub Date: March 12, 1969

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1969

Categories: CHILDREN'S