The Maladjusted Jungle

Ethel M. King-Shaw is a professor emeritus of curriculum and instruction
at the University of Calgary.

As the title suggests, this is a book about animals who are behaving
very strangely. It is a collection of 13 humorous poems accompanied by
colorful illustrations.

This particular jungle is home to a great variety of animals: Peggy, a
polar bear, escapes the cold by moving to a Caribbean island; Lily, a
leopard cub, learns to accept her spots; Katie, a kingfisher, prefers a
diet of worms to fish; a milliner tricks Osbert the ostrich into putting
his head in the sand so she can get his feathers; when no meat is
available, Vera the vulture eats vegetable pie; Cecil the centipede
learns to dance the Highland fling; the neck of George the giraffe is
too long for a tonsillectomy; Mary the mongoose is terrified of snakes;
a furrier shop is closed down by Oswald the ocelot; Percy the penguin
starts a gourmet restaurant that goes broke; overcoming a speech
impediment allows Suzie the snake to become a famous opera singer;
Cedric the crocodile is addicted to sweets; and Zoe the zebra runs as a
conservative in an election against the left-wing panther and the
successful candidate, a chimpanzee.

The personification of the animals is reflected in many ways, not only
in the way they dress or talk, but also in their problems, successes,
reactions, and emotions. This is a very amusing book; its easy-flowing
rhythm makes it a delight to read.