When the Aardvark Parked on the Ark, and Other Poems

First published by Harper and Row in 1984, formerly available from Simon and Schuster children's anthologies and now available frim W Pub Group, "When the Aardvark Parked on the Ark" by Calvin Miller is a feast of cleverly illustrated poems mixing whimsy and wisdom in playful, irresistible verses sure to appeal to children and adults of all ages. I have read the poems hundreds of times to my children when they were growing up, to my students when I was a Christian school principal, and used as illustrations in sermons and in speeches to community and civic groups over the years. It was loved by almost all! It gives a lighthearted, yet meaningful retellings of the biblical stories of Jonah, David and Goliath, Moses, and the almost catastrophic events of Noah may have faced "When the Aardvark Parked on the Ark." It gives helpful advice for living in the real world from creatures of the imagination such as unicorns, snow folk, and Jack Sprat. It gives the sunny story of marionetta the puppet, who dreamed of becoming human; and the heartwarming account of a mouse and a rat who found friendship the most important thing of al. It gives the rich instructive tales of Catherine Caterpillar, Halverson Hawk and Leonardo Lobster. It gives the surprising sagas of "Thin Minny," who went to extremes, and stubborn "Jonathan Herrington Barrington Green" who would "not finish one helping of beans." Plus it gives a bonus of practical-minded pieces such as "Eating With You Eyes Open", "You Can't Take a Plant for a Walk," and "A Glutton Can't Button His Shirt." Each touching, pointed poem has been illustrated by Marc Harrison's amusing, on-target pen-and-ink drawings that add to the general high spirits. Read many times and reviewed by Jimmie A. Kepler.

This is a wonderful book for children and adults alike! The poems are both funny and thought provoking.