Dirty Beasts

Roald Dahl's 1983 collection of comic poems for children introduces a menagerie of animals with sharp teeth, odd habits and grisly appetites. A pig on a farm reasons out why the farmer feeds him so well and acts on his conclusion; a crocodile likes children served for supper; and an anteater, a lion, a porcupine, a cow and a scorpion each get their turn. The verses mix silliness and gleeful menace with plenty of surprises.

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