It's a zoo in here!

Have you ever...
Seen a Gritchen in your kitchen?
Dared to dance with the One-Legged Zantz?
Declined to dine with the Glub-Toothed Sline?

You haven't? Well then, step inside — but only if you are ready to be amazed, tickled, astonished and entertained by this most unusual bestiary of silly and scary creatures.

"Back in 1964 — the same year that his Giving Tree was published — Silverstein's first poetry collection appeared; it was also his only children's book to contain full-color art. Reissued in a slightly larger trim size, this collection of 45 poems tours readers past imaginary creatures, beginning with a being that looks remarkably like a fedora but for the jaw subtly poking below one side of the brim and the four tiny feet beneath: 'This is the Quick-Disguising Ginnit./ Didn't he have you fooled for a minute?' There's no question that the intensity of Silverstein's watercolor palette adds to the fun: the gradations in the hat, for example, distract from the 'ginnit' details; more typically, they supply a punch that complements the puckish but simple shapes of Silverstein's silly beasts ('The Pointy-Peaked Pavarius,/ A creature most gregarious,/ Who's never taken serious,/ Poor thing'). 'Silly' doesn't mean unsophisticated, by the way: most of the work was first published in Playboy. All ages." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Originally published in 1964, Silverstein's first collection of poetry about a band of unusual creatures housed in Uncle Shelby's Zoo is available once again, this time in full color. Click here for some online fun!

Shel Silverstein combined his unique imagination and bold brand of humor for his first poetry collection—the only one he illustrated in full color. Now available again after three decades, don't bump the glump! and Other Fantasies was originally published in 1964, the same year as his most famous picture book, the giving tree.