THE DUCK AND THE KANGAROO
by Edward Lear and illustrated by Jane Wattenberg
A lesser-known romantic lyric from the author of “The Owl and the Pussycat” is set to suitably wild photo-collage illustrations. Aching to see what lies beyond “this nasty pond,” Duck begs for a ride aboard Kangaroo—answering Kangaroo’s objections to Duck’s cold, wet feet thusly: “…I have thought over that completely, / And I bought four pairs of worsted socks / Which fit my web-feet neatly. / And to keep out the cold I’ve bought a cloak, / And every day a cigar I’ll smoke, / All to follow my own dear true / Love of a kangaroo!” Off they go “with a hop and a bound, / And they hopped the whole world three times round.” Wattenberg endows her animal figures with comically expressive googly eyes and sets the courtship amid riotous multiple layers of exotic flora and fauna Photoshopped from an array of 19th-century Naturalist painters—including Lear himself—along with photos of custom-made duck socks and other silly items. Top marks for visual exuberance; this is the first separate edition of the verses available in this country in decades. (illustrator’s notes) (Picture book. 6-9)