Using masterful, imaginative free verse, Valerie Worth has penned a menagerie of poems about twenty-three different animals. Worth’s alluring descriptions capture both personality and place, conveying a sense of her subject and the environment in which each creature resides. Steve Jenkins’ textured, cut-paper collage images of each animal provide a striking visual complement to the sophisticated poems. His eye-popping illustrations invite an immediate visceral response, whether it’s alarm at the poised quills of the porcupine, disgust at the armored parade of cockroaches, or delight in the suggested softness of the tail of a squirrel. (Ages 6–12)

“Ms. Worth brilliantly employs all aspects of the poet’s craft.” – The New York Times Book Review
 
Each of the exquisite twenty-three poems in this posthumous collection by Valerie Worth carefully distinguishes one animal from all other creatures and captures it in all of its wonderful singularity – from wasp to snake to wren. The way Worth perfectly illuminates the uniqueness of each animal in her precise and elegant free verse will delight both fans of her celebrated Small Poems and readers encountering her poetry for the first time.
 
Breathtakingly rich cut-paper illustrations by Steve Jenkins provide a perfect counterpoint to Worth’s spare style, and together poetry and picture bring every animal vividly to life. Animal Poems is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.