Beastly Feasts! A Mischievous Menagerie in Rhyme

by Robert L. Forbes, Ronald Searle (Illustrator)

More than 40 delicious poems make up this outlandish menagerie of madcap rhymes about animals both naughty and nice.

Illustrated with zany pictures by Ronald Searle, this collection from the inimitable mind of Robert Forbes is as good for a scare as it is for a laugh.

Genres: Poetry, Childrens, Animals, Picture Books

96 pages, Hardcover

First published September 6, 2007

Reviews

[Sheena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good 👍 book

[Kristy McRae · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ditto for this one--see review of "Let's Have a Bite"

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

BATHTUB ADMIRAL DUANE

I know a hedgehog named Duane
Who adores a day full of rain
And digs his hole in a puddle -
Oh what a wet muddy muddle!
So he climbs in the bath with his fleet
Of warships keen to compete,
Guns firing, boom! Boom! BOOM!
As his tub floats room to room,
The flotilla at his command,
Fine vessels all, small and grand.

Hail the hero of the Ocean Navy,
Fighting battles on seas so wavy,
Finding triumph and victory
And his place in hedgehog history
As he navigates around the world,
His battle banners fully unfurled,
Courageously settling righteous scores
Off far foreign piratical shores -
Sail on! Sail on, through mud and rain,
Dear brave Bathtub Admiral Duane!

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although there are stanzas and lines that I thought were very creative and worked well, most of the poems had forced rhymes and rhythms that just didn't consistently work. Many of the illustrations were humorous.

[Nan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely novice poetry, just like mine!

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The illustrations are really great, but the poetry is, well... not.

[Grace Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

don't really like poems, the book is short. I didn't mind it..It was very creative

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is shelved with Juvenile books in the library in my town, probably because it LOOKS like a child's book with all the animal characters on the cover. It is definitely NOT a book for very young children. The subject matter in the poems sometimes strays into adult-only territory.

Children who are old enough to have developed a sense of the macabre would certainly enjoy it. I think my 4 year old grandson would enjoy the drawings, but I wouldn't attempt to read it to him.