Mixed Beasts

Kenyon Cox authored and illustrated the original edition of Mixed Beasts first published in 1904. Wallace Edwards, a respected Canadian illustrator, has used Cox's verses to inspire his own artwork, maintaining an old-fashioned feel with a somewhat more modern design. Children with a sense of the absurd will enjoy Edwards' elaborate illustrations and Cox's short verses in this new edition. The Rhinocerostrich, the Kangarooster, and the Octopussycat are wonderfully ridiculous but strangely plausible with Edwards' presentation. A two page appendix offers a pictorial listing of 32 beasts, from Army Ant to Spider Monkey to Zebrafinch, whose names lead to a more literal vision provided by Edwards. Younger children may find some of the images oddly disturbing, but most will enjoy the zany content hidden behind a facetiously serious facade.