A Nice Walk in the Jungle

Miss Jellaby leads her class of 12 on a nature walk through a realistically depicted jungle, pointing out such natural occurrences as a lizard eating a cricket or a little yellow tree-frog. The jungle is also crowded with monkeys and an intercontinental mix of large beasts (big cats, rhino, anteater, etc.) that no one seems to notice - plus one multicolored cartoon-style boa constrictor that has inexplicably wandered in to eat the children, one by one, while the most alert of them tries vainly to get his teacher's attention. Just as the boa swallows the last child, Miss Jellaby finally notices, forces it to regurgitate everyone (unharmed), and takes them all to a vegetarian lunch. Though this is all a bit weird and pointlessly enigmatic, the humor of the central drama and its resolution are bound to appeal to kids, as are the beautifully painted beasts. Worth a try for picture-book time. (Kirkus Reviews)