Animals would look pretty silly doing a lot of the things that people do all the time. The unlikely combinations in Laura Numeroff's cheerful rhymes and Joe Mathieu's bright, zany pictures will make you laugh out loud. What sort of crazy creatures can you dream up? -Amazon
A spirited, silly rhyming story about all of the things animals don't do. Readers will probably giggle uncontrollably at the hilarious illustrations of goats shaving, moose trying to bowl, fish eating bagels, roosters working out in a gym, skunks riding scooters, beavers roller-skating, frogs taking a taxi as they go out on a date, mules painting pictures, raccoons wearing knapsacks as they go for a hike, ducks on bicycles, bulls flying airplanes, and rabbits sunbathing and surfing at the beach. There's even a group of theatrical pigs performing a send-up of The Pirates of Penzance.
Laura Numeroff's witty juxtapositions of animals and their improbable activities are cheerfully complemented by the soft pencil and watercolor cartoon illustrations of Sesame Street artist Joe Mathieu. The unlikely scenarios and the fun rhythm of the text will appeal to the preschool crowd, and readers will enjoy being invited by Numeroff to come up with their own ridiculous additions to her list. Use this book as a supplement to lessons on phonics as you invite readers to pick out the rhyming words from the text. -Scholastic
It was an honor to work with writer Laura Numeroff. The manuscript came with no art directions, just the rhyming verse. The words were clever and funny enough to inspire some of my best and funniest drawings. This book led to a sequel, "Chimps Don't Wear Glasses".
