MR. PUTNEY'S QUACKING DOG

Continuing the master wordplay displayed in his previous titles about anagrams, oxymorons, palindromes and spoonerisms (Orangutan Tongs: Poems to Tangle Your Tongue, 2009, etc.), Agee introduces Mr. Putney and invites readers to guess the names of his odd menagerie of animal friends in a series of 20 sly riddles. A perfect marriage of his dry, quirky humor with his signature flat illustrations in heavily outlined watercolors results in delightfully mind-stretching fun. For example, unflappable Mr. Putney looks on as a snake in a hard hat builds a hot tub. Who is he?—a boa constructor, of course! While the knitting walrus may be relatively easy to guess—a woolrus—others are true stumpers or laugh-out-loud ridiculous in the best sense, from the alarmadillo that wakes him in the morning to the guardvark that watches over his house at night. Get ready to ponder, giggle and fully appreciate. Sure to appeal to a wide range of ages—a real end-of-summer treat. (Nonfiction. 6 & up)