Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals

Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals consists of 19 mask poems, a type of poetry which is described in the book’s end matter:

In a mask poem (also known as a persona poem), we get to speak in the voice of someone or something we are not.

Linda Ashman has elected to write in the voice of members of the natural world that all share one thing in common. Each merits having a superlative adjective attached to it. The individual mask poems are printed on the book’s rectos, and their first person content clues invite the book’s readers to guess their identity. For each, a visual hint to the speaker’s identity is supplied by Aparna Varma. In the case of SLOWPOKE, Varma offers a tree branch that is being clung to by two furry feet, each foot having three toes. A turn of the page names the speaker, provides the appropriate superlative adjective, and a paragraph of factual information about the speaker as well as Varma’s cartoonish but still realistic representation of one or more of the speaker’s group. With SLOWPOKE, Varma’s image of three sloths accompanies the following text:

SLOWEST MAMMAL

Three-Toed Sloth

Imagine spending your days hanging from a tree branch, mostly sleeping, with occasional breaks for eating. That’s the life of the three-toed sloth. With their long claws and strong grip, they’re perfectly suited for hanging around. They spend so much time in trees, and move so little, that algae grow on their fur. The algae’s greenish trim provides camouflage in the rain forest, helping the sloth hide from predators.

In selecting her subject matter, Ashman has chosen a mix of the possibly familiar along with the most likely unknown. Some readers will recognize the elephant’s trunk illustration that goes with ALL I NEED IS ONE TRUNK and may correctly guess that the animal merited inclusion because of its size. (LARGEST Land Animal) And a good portion of the book’s audience will readily guess that TOOTHY TOOLS’s speaker is a beaver, especially when they see Varma’s art, but will they know the superlative it represents? (BEST Engineer) The title of SUPER STINKERS gives away the probable superlative (STINKIEST Animal), but the poem, itself, is actually an argument between two animals with each claiming the title. The black tail with its white stripe clearly belongs to a skunk, but the three feathers falling from the sky will leave readers wondering (until they turn the page). Lesser known critters include the snailfish, the white-spotted puffer fish, the Etruscan shrew and the Eurasian hoopoe.

The superlatives that Ashman highlights are diverse in their scope and include, among others, “strongest bite”, “biggest animal ever”, “longest life span”, “longest tongue”, “best undersea artist”, “fastest flyer” and “most well-traveled”.

End matter includes two pages on “Protecting Endangered Animals”, a listing of five websites that address endangered animals and biodiversity, a “Recommended Reading” list containing eight recent book titles, and a glossary of 14 items.

The intended audience will enjoy the “Who am I, and why do I merit a superlative?” riddle aspects of the book. Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals deserves a place in both language arts and science classes in elementary schools.