You're an Animal, Viskovitz!

In this wickedly hilarious collection of fables, Alessandro Boffa introduces us to Viskovitz and his never-ending search for his true love, Ljuba. As he changes from a lovelorn lion to a jealous finch, from a confused dung beetle to an enlightened police dog, Viskovitz embraces his metamorphoses with wry humor and an oftentimes painful sense of self.

As an ant, Viskovitz fights his way to the top where his egotism calls on the colony to create a monument to his greatness out of a piece of bread. As a sponge, he is horrified by the inbreeding in his family--"I'm my own mother-in-law!!!"--and yearns for a change in current so he can mate with Ljuba, who lies downstream. As a mantis, he asks his mother what his father was like, only to hear, "Crunchy. A bit salty. High in fiber." Unfortunately, when he meets Ljuba shortly thereafter, he follows his father's fate. And as a scorpion, his uncontrollably deadly efficiency meets its match in Ljuba and finds "no way to escape this intolerable, sinister happiness."

Author: Alessandro Boffa
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 06/17/2003
Pages: 176
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.41lbs
Size: 7.98h x 5.28w x 0.45d
ISBN: 9780375704833

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6.1
Point Value: 6
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 74976 / You're an Animal, Viskovitz!


Review Citation(s):
Kliatt 11/01/2003 pg. 30

About the Author
Alessandro Boffa was born in Moscow. He completed his studies in biology in Rome, and now divides his time between Italy and Thailand. This is his first book.