AWKWARD AARDVARK

Aardvark is driving his fellow forest dwellers crazy with his snoring. Mongoose, the monkeys, lion and rhinoceros, attempt to keep him awake in return for their sleepless nights. Despite their best efforts Aardvark always goes back to sleep, snoring as loudly as ever. The termites eat away the roots of Aardvark’s tree, and he is so angry that he threatens to eat them all—and he does. When he discovers how tasty the termites are, he begins to sleep in the daytime and hunt termites at night. Originally published in England in 1989, this is illustrated with glorious full-page watercolors with wonderful close-ups of the charming animals. The origin of the tale is not documented; nevertheless it will be a popular companion to The Baby Beebee Bird by Diane Redfield Massie, newly illustrated by Steven Kellogg in 2000. (Picture book. 4-8)