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A Curious Menagerie: Of Herds, Flocks, Leaps, Gaggles, Scurries, and More!

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A Curious Menagerie: Of Herds, Flocks, Leaps, Gaggles, Scurries, and More!

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Overview

From a flamboyance of flamingos to a mischief of mice, this gorgeous picture book introduces readers to sixty collective animal nouns in a fun and unusual way!

Illustrated with show-stopping collage art by acclaimed author-illustrator Carin Berger, A Curious Menagerie is a delightfully engaging read-aloud sure to delight and expand vocabularies.

In this extraordinary picture book, acclaimed and award-winning author-illustrator Carin Berger introduces readers to sixty unusual and engaging collective nouns, from an ambush of tigers to a loveliness of ladybugs.

With stunning collage artwork and a playful and educational text, this is a perfect choice for storytime as well as bedtime sharing. A Curious Menagerie is just right for fans of Peter Reynolds and Mac Barnett. A note about the origin of the collective nouns featured in the book is included.

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About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062644572
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/11/2019
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,071,511
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 11.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Carin Berger is an award-winning designer and illustrator. Her cut-paper collages are made using ephemera, such as catalogues, old books, receipts, letters, and ticket stubs. In a starred review, Kirkus said of her Forever Friends, “Sophisticated, sensitive, and accessible, this picture book will offer new insights and pleasures with each season.” The Little Yellow Leaf was a 2008 New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books selection, and in starred reviews, Publishers Weekly called her A Perfect Day “lovely” and her Finding Spring “exceptional.” She is also the illustrator of the acclaimed Stardines Swim High Across the Sky and Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant, both by Jack Prelutsky, among other books. She lives with her family in New York City. www.carinberger.com

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

07/15/2019
What do you call a group of giraffes? A pile of penguins? In this jovial picture book, Berger walks readers through a selection of collective nouns. Each spread, narrated by a tall, mustachioed ringleader and a diminutive monkey, features a different gathering of animals performing their communal descriptor: “a parade of penguins” marches through the snow as a marching band, “a gaze of raccoons” looks out through telescopes at the night sky, and “a leap of leopards” gracefully clears a track hurdle. Berger’s digital collage illustrations playfully employ papers of different textures and patterns—a befitting medium for an eclectic assembly of beasts arranged in a seemingly random order. An informative final spread explains the origin of the collective noun, which dates back to “etiquette guides for young aristocrats” in medieval England. A diverting, albeit brief, frolic for young wordsmiths. Ages 4–8. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Collective nouns are the singular focus of this straightforward picture book. . . .Lovely collage illustrations, featuring playful use of shapes and patterns in sophisticated color palettes.” — Kirkus Reviews
“The lighthearted, layered illustrations and alliterative text make studying grammar almost as much fun as that barrel of monkeys depicted in the final spread!” — Booklist

From the Publisher

The lighthearted, layered illustrations and alliterative text make studying grammar almost as much fun as that barrel of monkeys depicted in the final spread!

Booklist

05/10/2019
PreS-Gr 3-A flamboyance of flamingos in Marie Antoinette wigs, a mischief of mice with beady eyes and crooked eyebrows, and a murder of grows brandishing a dagger in a graveyard round out this illustrated guide to collective nouns. This literal menagerie offers readers a brief definition and history of collective nouns before diving in with an exquisite and whimsical set of animals. Berger's illustrations are collages crafted from old books, catalogs, letters and more. The narrators of the collection are a monkey and a circus ringmaster, introducing each group with a silly question and fun word play. Even the end pages are not wasted as the monkey and ringmaster muse on the number of animals contained within the pages of the book. While simple, the content is incredibly fun and engaging. Small details on each page bring the definitions to life, offering a vibrancy to each noun. For example, the parade of penguins march through the snow, playing instruments and twirling batons, while the lounge of lizards bask in the sun, sipping lemonade and wearing sun hats. VERDICT This is a clever and witty collection, offering a chance for any reader to diversify his vocabulary while becoming entranced with delightful illustrations and puns.-Kaitlin Malixi, Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Philadelphia

School Library Journal

2019-03-12
Collective nouns are the singular focus of this straightforward picture book.
A round-headed monkey asks a white man who has a positively insectile mustache and is dressed in a top hat and red coat, "I'm curious. What do you call a group of geese?" The man answers the question (a gaggle) and adds the names of groups of sheep (a flock) and cows (a herd). The monkey replies, "Wow! I wonder what you would call a group of giraffes?" And so the dialogue continues: the monkey asking, the man answering. These two characters are pictured against a white background on a side panel set off from each spread illustrating the group of animals in a way that alludes to their collective noun, with varying success—a memory of elephants, for example, is shown as an elephant within another elephant's thought bubble within a third elephant's thought bubble. There is no apparent reason why the monkey wants to know these nouns nor any apparent structure moving the story forward. Reading this book aloud is no fun, unless learning the collective nouns is of burning interest to readers, and there is no index that would make this book useful in a reference collection. The only reason to keep turning the pages is the lovely collage illustrations, featuring playful use of shapes and patterns in sophisticated color palettes.
There are several other successful picture books about collective nouns to be preferred over this one. (author's note) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews

A Curious Menagerie: Of Herds, Flocks, Leaps, Gaggles, Scurries, and More!

A Curious Menagerie: Of Herds, Flocks, Leaps, Gaggles, Scurries, and More!

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