Wolf's debut, a collection of verse about body parts, is sure to tickle the funny bone (one body part that isn't covered here). Poems range from the sheerly silly ("We all need bones to give us shape/ from little boys to poodles./ That's why our limbs are strong and straight/ instead of limp, like noodles") to downright wise-cracking, as in a poem about a man who discovers his bottom is missing ("Without my behind, I am in quite a muddle./ I'll have to have surgeons perform a re-buttal!"). Clarke's (The Mystery of UFOs) retro paintings of pop-eyed, Gumby-limbed figures confine themselves to shades of reddish brown, flesh and green, giving the book a muted, sepia-toned feel. Clarke substitutes whimsy for biological accuracy. Stomachs run on little treadmills, sweating big beads of perspiration. The disembodied spleen, pictured for the title poem, wears a propeller beanie. Much of the basic biology will be familiar to the target audience, but the final stretch of poems treats trickier subjects: "Consider the Anus," "Your Hormones Are Exciting," "Boy Parts" and "Girl Parts." These Wolf handles with droll wit ("Between his belly and his knees,/ each boy and man has one of these./ The penis
is its proper name,/ a treasure only boys can claim"—the companion poem names the vagina as the "treasure only girls can claim"). Illustrations here, while suggestive—a boy looks down his pants with cheerful interest—are not explicit. Kids are sure to relish the author's candor. Ages 8-up. (Aug.)
