Don't Take Your Snake for a Stroll

Don't Take Your Snake for a Stroll by Karin Ireland. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780439746465.

In the spirit of Margot Apples Sheep in a Shop, this humorous litany of what might happen if one takes exotic pets out for a stroll, shopping, to the beach, or on any number of outings makes for a comic cautionary tale. Brief rhymes, one for each situation, describe the action, which is perfectly complemented by the wacky artwork. Illustrations in bright colors and outlined in thin, scratchy lines depict exaggerated people and beasts in all sorts of silly situations: An outsize pig wallows in a planter outside a mall that boasts stores such as House of Socks and Pencil Mart; rotund passengers bail out of an airplane after the skunk sets up a stink; an outrageously plump bride with a beehive hairdo looks astonished to find a duckling in her punch; and so on. Kids will like the outlandish pictures and giggle at the goofy advice.