A Child's Primer of Natural History

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About this book

Animals become comic teachers in Oliver Herford's illustrated verse collection, published in 1899. Each short poem turns a creature's appearance or habits into a joke about human behavior. A giraffe begins breakfast early because its food has so far to travel, a yak's untidy coat invites comment on grooming, and a sloth offers an upside-down view of life. Herford also supplies the pictures, which the verses sometimes address directly.

The syllables are divided as in a child's reading primer, while the humor reaches into philosophy, literature and fashionable dress. Geese are given philosophical reading, a cat puzzles those who try to explain her mind, and an ostrich worries about feathers decorating a theatergoer's hat. The short pieces suit readers who enjoy animal rhymes with jokes about manners, learning and the habits of grown-ups.

About the author

Oliver Herford

Oliver Herford brought light verse and illustration together in books that reward both reading aloud and looking closely. The Kitten’s Garden of Verses and The Rubáiyát of a Persian Kitten recast familiar literary forms around cats, while The Mythological Zoo turns classical creatures into comic subjects. The Peter Pan Alphabet similarly reshapes J. M.