  |
 |
 |
|
Animal MischiefWhat do a toad, a yak, an octopus, and a firefly have in common? They, and a couple of dozen other critters, are the subjects of a short collection of children’s poems titled Animal Mischief (Boyds Mills Press, 2006), by Rob Jackson ’83. The poems are accompanied by appropriately amusing illustrations by Laura Jacobson. —Christopher Dow |
Jackson’s verses are quirky fun, but they’re informative as well. The author is a professor in Duke University’s Department of Biology and director of Duke’s Global Change Center, and he strews the poems with odd yet intriguing tidbits, such as the fact that nine-banded armadillos always produce litters of four, either all male or all female, or that an ant, after finding food, drags its stinger on the ground to lay a trail of scent for other ants to follow. Jackson winds up the book with several pages of background information for young readers about the various subjects of his poems. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |