Around the World on Eighty Legs: Animal Poems

by Amy Gibson, Daniel Salmieri (Illustrator)

A fun, fresh animal journey!

Pack your bags and put on your travelin' shoes! There's an animal adventure waiting for you! Awake with the HOWLER MONKEYS, twist into a pretzel like a QUETZAL, hang with a SLOTH, be will-nilly like a CHINCHILLA. Squawk with an AUK, bump your rump like a CAMEL, be silly with a BILBY, and drift off to sleep in the deep of the OUTBACK. Fun-filled and fact-packed, AROUND THE WORLD ON EIGHTY LEGS is the ticket for an unforgettable adventure!

YAK
The yakkity yakkity yakkity yak-
Why is it the yak never answers you back?
To a yak, nothing's worse
Than to have to converse-
The yakkity yakkity yak.

Genres: Poetry, Animals, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Nature

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Having earned her BA in English from Stanford University and MA in Education, Amy put her schooling to excellent use – she became an elementary school teacher. In the classroom, she framed her entire school year as a trip around the world, exploring animals and cultures along the way. She’s passionate about making language and learning irresistible fun.

Reviews

[Treasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever heard of a hoatzin or a skua or a macaque or a goanna? Yeah, me either. Until I read this book. And now, thanks to Gibson's delightful poems and Salmieri's amusing illustrations, I actually know a little bit about these animals. Gibson takes 61 animals from South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Arctic, and Antarctica and introduces them to the reader through humorous, clever verse. Many are animals the reader will be familiar with, but that doesn't make the poems any less appealing. Salmieri's almost cartoonish illustrations fittingly accompany the poems, adding to the humor and giving the reader a good idea of what these animals look like (taken with a grain of salt, of course, since the illustrations are not meant to be exactly realistic).

I just love the poems in this book. There were so many that made me laugh out loud. And I especially loved that each poem was a little different. Most of them rhymed, but not necessarily in an obvious rhyme scheme. The variety in the poems kept each one different and fresh.

Going into this book, I wasn't particularly excited about a book of poetry about different animals. But I was won over by the 4th poem ("Anaconda," accompanied by an illustration of the snake with a sign that says "Free hugs"). Now I am trying to think of which of my nieces or nephews will be receiving this for a birthday present this year.

My only complaint: why not include animals from North America and Europe? I know we're all familiar with those animals, so maybe they wouldn't be quite so interesting as these exotic ones... but I would really love to see what Gibson could come up with for the animals of those two continents. Perhaps a sequel?

[Nielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a cute book! From the Andes to the Amazon and from Malaysia to the Himalayas, this is an animal adventure nobody should miss out on! Using silly, humorous poems, the author takes us to four different continents (S.A., Africa, Asia, Australia) while highlighting animals from each area. Kids will love the silly but informative poems about each animal. Each poem is unique in format and length and will keep the kids on their toes. With amusing illustrations and new, obscure facts about each animal, this book would be perfect to use for a poetry lesson and/or an animal lesson!

[Anna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary : this book has animals from the Andes to the Amazon: South America and beyond! There are Ocelot’s that have awful lots of spots. Or Penguins that slip in their tuxedo.
Grade :1st-5
Classroom: Science, English
Individual: students who love animals or need fun facts
Small Group: have students make up poems for the animals
Whole class: read aloud
Related books: Amy Gibson books
Multimedia : none

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining collection of animal poems with equally amusing illustrations.

[Donalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travel around the globe visiting animals from every continent in this hilarious poetry book. Clever, playful word choices, animal facts, and silly illustrations throughout.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry! So fun to read! And so fun to listen to my 7 yr old read to me with giggles and dimples showing. It's a hoot.

[Luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the best way to write a poetry book like this is to compile one author's random poems together (Hoberman's Llama Pajama) or connect a bunch of different authors' poems with one illustrator like Carle's Dragons Dragons. This kind of book where the subject was picked before the poems were written makes for a few difficult to enjoy poems. But the book grew on me and by the end my kids and I enjoyed it!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book surprised me in that I went in thinking it was going to be a bland book of poetry and it was actually an entertaining, and informational tongue twister book about animals across the globe (except North America and Europe?).
My son and I took turns reading each page and he enjoyed adding in a bit of trivia on each animal as he read along. Fun to read aloud and the illustrations by Salmieri is why I checked it out to begin with :)

[Betsy Ellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can spend some time with your child reading through this delightful collection of poems about animals from around the globe. My Wild Kratts obsessed son loved it. The content, rhymes and illustrations keep it fun but the child will be learning not only about animals but also about poems and language since the poems introduce a lot of new words to their vocabulary.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun way to introduce children to animals from around the world and to introduce them to poetry! The illustrations are engaging! The rhythm in the poems adds to much to the whole experience. And I love the humor in the book. I love that the animals were divided by continent so you know which animals belong where. Great read. Amy Gibson, we hope to read many more books from you!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of poems for little animal lovers. We loved the interesting poems and the playful illustrations on a diverse group of animals. The "menagerie of facts" at the end is also delightful.

[Larissa Langsather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed that there were no poems on animals in North America and Europe!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This POETRY book is an awesome way to introduce poetry to students. It is a whole book filled with funny and informative poems about all the different animals in the world. The author takes 61 different animals from Africa, South America, Asia, etc. and goes into detail about what they are, facts about them and what you usually do if you encounter them. The illustrations are so colorful and do a great job following along with the story. Reading this I realized that I am very closed minded in the category of animals. I know the basics and that is it. After reading this book I can now tell you what a howler monkey is as well as a basilisk.

I would use this book with first, second and maybe even third grade. It's a better fit for first and second because of the style and level of the writing. I think it would be okay for third grade if you had students read for fun and then had them pick and animal, research, and complete a project based on the animals. This assignment would be good for any age. As the teacher I would adapt the lesson and change it to make it more challenging for the older grade levels. This would be a great read aloud for students or a go to book during spare time.

One thing that I love about this book is that the lines don't always rhyme. This is a good way to introduce rhyme and rhythm in poems and structure of poems and how they don't have to always rhyme or be a certain length or criteria. I loved this book and feel like the author and illustrator did such a great job with the writing as well as the pictures. It was very engaging and informative.

[Darshana Khiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take a trip around the world and learn about these quirky, unique animals in this 56-page book of rhyming poems. Animals covered from the well-known, such as giraffe, lion, to the unheard of, such as the hoatzin, skua, and mouse deer. The sixty-one animal poems are organized by continents. Each poem introduces the animal to the reader in a light-hearted, humorous way revealing only one or two traits. The illustrations are done in watercolor, gouache, and colored-pencil, making these animals just ‘pop’ on the page. Each animal is drawn accurately but also with a sense of personality complementing the text perfectly.

The end pages contain an alphabetical listing of all the animals and provide additional information. This is a great “intro” book to animal diversity which will have kids clamoring for more information. A great book to use in the classroom or at storytime.

Click here for the original review and activity ideas at Flowering Minds.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun book. This book takes you around the world, in geographic regions (Africa, South America, Australia, Asia and the Arctic/Antarctic), using verse about animals that live in each region. (I'm shelving it under animal nonfiction because facts are included in most of the poems...and there are facts about each animal at the end).

I really enjoyed that there were several animals that I wasn't familiar with (and several more that my children weren't familiar with): including the slow loris, takin, bilbies, pangolin and guillemot.

Some of the poems were funny:
Kangaroo
Why hug the ground,
when you can bound?

Basilisk
He's no wizard,
just a lizard
stuck with a
peculiar name.

What's odder,
he can walk on water!
(Just don't try
to do the same!)

The yakkity yak one is funny too.

Some are more serious. Most have good rhyming patterns while staying true to the animal. My 4, 7 and 9 year old girls all enjoyed this book and I did as well.

[Lucila Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book is so funny but at the same time very informative. I think it would be a great teaching tool for students. Each poem is about a different animal. The font is clear and easy to read and the content is interesting. Some of the poems rhyme and some do not which is also a great teaching tool. When they do rhyme the rhyme is natural and not awkward. Each poem is refreshingly unique and allows children to see each animal in a new way that they may not have thought of prior. I would keep this book on my bookshelf in the classroom.As I read through some of these poems, they may spark an interest in students to learn more about animals. The illustrations and humorous verses may catch children's attention more than fiction or non fiction picture books. The author takes 61 different animals from all around the world and describes what they eat, how they interact with other animals, what sounds they make and where they live.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

•Brief summary
This book has many different animals in it with cute little sayings related to each.

•Audience
Kindergarten or first grade

•Appeal
oh the funny saying going along with each animal would make any child like to read this book. It also has funny drawings of each of the animals so the children focus on what the animal is doing.

•Implementation
I think I would use this book as a quick informational book for a quite activity each day. Like read one animal a week and then have the children see what else they could find about that animal while on the computer or something. Then as a class at the end of the week make a funny saying together.

Gibson, A., & Salmieri, D. (2011). Around the world on eighty legs. New York: Scholastic Press.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, fresh animal journey!

Pack your bags and put on your travelin' shoes! There's an animal adventure waiting for you! Awake with the HOWLER MONKEYS, twist into a pretzel like a QUETZAL, hang with a SLOTH, be will-nilly like a CHINCHILLA. Squawk with an AUK, bump your rump like a CAMEL, be silly with a BILBY, and drift off to sleep in the deep of the OUTBACK. Fun-filled and fact-packed, AROUND THE WORLD ON EIGHTY LEGS is the ticket for an unforgettable adventure!

YAK
The yakkity yakkity yakkity yak-
Why is it the yak never answers you back?
To a yak, nothing's worse
Than to have to converse-
The yakkity yakkity yak.

Cute idea - too much to read at one setting. The animals are grouped by continent and perhaps best read in segments like that.

[Martha]

By far one of the most interesting children's poems books that I've read. This book contains so much information and helps one learn about all types of animals around the world by some simple verses. The author of this book takes 61 animals from Africa, Asia, Antarctica, South America, Australia and the Arctic and gives you some information on these animals through verses, many of these animals are a bit familiar but for young children it's all very exciting and interesting to learn about new things or learn more. The illustrations may not be precisely what the animal looks like because its done in a cartoonish manner but one can still get the idea. I would recommend this to all children because its interesting and also very humorous.

[Maeve Mcgill]

As I read through some of these poems, they may spark an interest in students to learn more about animals. The illustrations and humorous verses may catch children's attention more than fiction or non fiction picture books. The author takes 61 different animals from all around the world and describes what they eat, how they interact with other animals, what sounds they make and where they live. This may be used in lessons on animals or part of the world to help keep the students intrigued about the subject matter.

[Sara Sipos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so fun and informative. I would be a great teaching tool for students. Each poem is about a different animal. The font is clear and easy to read and the content is interesting. Some of the poems rhyme and some do not which is also a great teaching tool. When they do rhyme the rhyme is natural and not awkward. Each poem is refreshingly unique and allows children to see each animal in a new way that they may not have thought of prior. I would keep this book on my bookshelf in the classroom.

[Bailey Scales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around the World on Eighty Legs would be an excellent introduction to poetry for a kindergartners or first graders. I enjoyed this book because it used silly words to describe a huge variety of animals from different continents. The book appealed to the animal and zoo lover inside of me. It was fun to learn about different animals in a poetry setting. Students would enjoy the animals chosen, and be able to pick out their favorite animal and tell me why. I would be able to teach a lesson about animals, their habitats, where they come from, as well as poetry!

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book. It has a lot of rhyme in it, similes as well. It will teach children some fo the many animals there are. The goodd thing about this book is that it talks about animals that are not so popular, like camels... Also new bocabulary words, that I can definitely teach to children....



An activity I would do with this book, is that I would have the children choose the animal they liked the most that was in the book, and then draw it.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun! Nice to see some animals who aren't often in the spotlight have their very own poem. The variety of poems was impressive and also kept the book from getting boring. This was more my kind of poetry. I enjoyed the illustrations, too--they made me smile. This is a Beehive nominee and my co-worker was right--this would have been perfect for last year's World summer theme!

Might be fun to share a few of the poems in either toddler or preschool storytime.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool poetry book that I think kids would love (if they gave it a chance). There are many animals I've never even heard of (agoutis, hoatzin, sugar glider, etc...?!). Both the poems and the illustrations are FUN (the Piranha poem for example, "Not only are his jaws ferocious, his table manners are atrocious"... haha), and there are mini-facts about the various animals at the back of the book.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of poetry for students in grades 2 - 4. Traveling through a variety of biomes, Gibson includes of fun and funny poems about all kinds of animals. Perfect for my second graders learning about adaptations and my fourth graders learning about biomes.

Highly recommended for elementary school collections. While not every poem is spectacular, it's a solid collection and one that's easy to use to compliment the curriculum.

[Nicole Eschweiler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of poems by Amy Gibson is broken into different parts of the world. In each part of the world, there are poems about different animals that you can find located in that region. This book of poems would be a great resource to use in your classroom to teach about animals and the different parts of the world. The poems are easy for children to understand, educational, interesting for children, and there are pictures to go with it.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This non-fiction picture book has a great concept but doesn't seem to connect the title as well as it could to the story. Basically, the reader is taken around the world via a look at various animals and some information about the animals. At the end each animal is listed with a short listing of obscure facts.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

In poems ranging from one line to many, this book celebrates animals from around the world (grouped together by region) throught text and bright ilustrations. Ranging from animals commonly known--polar bear/zebra/lion--to the more rare--pangolin/bibly/haotzin...a great representation of the world's animals is achieved.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around the world we travel in this book, moving from continent to continent, looking at the animals everywhere we go. The rhyming text works for the most part although some of the lines are a bit awkward and would need to be practiced before being read aloud. Still, this is a great way to learn more about the animal kingdom especially since the backmatter includes additional information.