Whoever heard of a horse who lives in a house (while his owners live next door)? What about a greyhound who needs contact lenses to win his races? Or an American cat fitted with a transmitter and an antenna in his tail so that he can spy on the Soviets? Or two donkeys who have a wedding, complete with music and a marriage feast? These stories and many more - all quite strange, all very true - come from reports in newspapers around the world and are collected in this volume with a lot to say about the behaviour of animals and especially humans - who may well be the strangest animals of all.

By:   Gail Ablow
Illustrated by:   Kathy Osborn
Imprint:   Walker Books
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 10mm,  Width: 300mm,  Spine: 207mm
Weight:   485g
ISBN:  

9780763628383

ISBN 10:   0763628387
Pages:   40
Publication Date:   August 2007
Recommended Age:   5+
Audience:   Children/juvenile ,  5-7 years ,  English as a second language
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available  
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Gail Ablow is an award-winning broadcast journalist, who has produced documentaries, news and interviews for many US networks. She says, It was great fun to shift gears for this book and shed light on poky Komodo dragons and newlywed donkeys. Gail lives in Brooklyn, New York. Kathy Osborn has illustrated several children's books and one novel for adults. She began collecting strange but true newspaper stories about animals in 1999 and wanted to illustrate them to satisfy her curiosity. Kathy lives in Brooklyn, New York.

What at first appears to be a collection of urban legends is instead a list of 16 amazing animal tales from around the world. Journalist Ablow describes events in which animals acted or were treated in ways that were a little out of the ordinary. Readers learn of a cat with an antenna tail, a komodo dragon that experienced acupuncture and an elephant that received dentures, among others. Each tale is based on a true event with sources cited in a meticulous bibliography. The inherent danger in writing a book of this nature is that the stories may simply come across as tabloid amusements. Yet while Ablow's surprisingly short commentary doesn't allow for much contemplation beyond the immediate events themselves, the tales are consistently interesting and worthy of inclusion. Ablow sometimes confuses the issue by creating (as the introduction admits) colorful flights of fancy that make the collection appear to be more fantasy than fact. That aside, this is an amusing compilation of strange truths that can be enjoyed despite its confusing presentation. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10) (Kirkus Reviews)

What at first appears to be a collection of urban legends is instead a list of 16 amazing animal tales from around the world. Journalist Ablow describes events in which animals acted or were treated in ways that were a little out of the ordinary. Readers learn of a cat with an antenna tail, a komodo dragon that experienced acupuncture and an elephant that received dentures, among others. Each tale is based on a true event with sources cited in a meticulous bibliography. The inherent danger in writing a book of this nature is that the stories may simply come across as tabloid amusements. Yet while Ablow's surprisingly short commentary doesn't allow for much contemplation beyond the immediate events themselves, the tales are consistently interesting and worthy of inclusion. Ablow sometimes confuses the issue by creating (as the introduction admits) colorful flights of fancy that make the collection appear to be more fantasy than fact. That aside, this is an amusing compilation of strange truths that can be enjoyed despite its confusing presentation. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-10) (Kirkus Reviews)