Common Critters: The Wildlife in Your Neighborhood

K-Gr 2–This poetry collection uses colorful and somewhat silly illustrations to explore the bugs, worms, birds, and other animals that might live in a neighborhood; the illustrator suggests that the reader Google each animal to see their actual appearance. Each poem highlights an animal’s physical features and characteristics, as well as some fun facts. Some poems are short and some fill a page; most use the familiar ABAB rhyming structure. Each double-page spread contains a poem on one side with a small illustration, and a full-page illustration on the facing page. The large, simple font complements the illustrations and makes for easy reading. The poems are light and fun, while the entertaining illustrations will draw in readers. The animal facts at the end are the most useful part of the book, though readers may easily overlook these facts in the back matter. A useful endnote from the author offers tips from the “poet’s toolbox.” There is information on rhyming and stanzas, and a reminder about artistic license with examples to seemingly explain the lack of visual accuracy. There are many titles that seem to fit this description: cute animals, cute poems, some fun facts. This title might serve as a teaching tool for lessons on poetry as well as creative drawing, but that target audience is somewhat older than what the format and illustrations suggest.