Carnivores
written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Dan Santat (2013)
Just look at those face.  How can you not feel sorry for them? They’re at the top of their food chains and have to take so much guff from those lesser herbivores who continually complain that their friends and family members are eaten. But they’re delicious! And really, the carnivores did try to exercise constraint. They formed a carnivore support group and pledged to go vegetarian. That didn’t work… the wolf claimed that ‘every single berry bush seemed to have a bunny inside’. They also tried wearing disguises so they would blend in with crowd… but the when the lion tried to dress like an antelope, they ‘smelled his zebra breath, and it was all over’. Eventually, they consulted with the wise old owl, who also happens to be a carnivore, and he reminds them that they’re not bad, they’re carnivores, it’s just what they do! The owl was right and ‘it turned out he was also delicious’. So now whenever another animal gets too close, they get eaten. After all, they’re not bad… THEY’RE CARNIVORES!
What a deliciously fabulous, if not a bit irreverent, picture book. The text and illustrations go together like surf and turf. Get yourself a copy soon and enjoy the tasty combination for yourself.
Juliana Lee 