Verdi is a young, bright yellow python who is determined NOT to grow up to be like the lazy, curmudgeonly trio of green adults who constantly criticize his antics. And what a wild snake Verdi is! He races to the top of a tree, bows a branch down with his "tail," then lets go and sails through the air. And when his skin inevitably starts turning green, he looks for a miracle in a mudpack. Cannon's lavish colored pencil and acrylic paintings are naturalistic with a playful hint of human vanity. Verdi grows older -- possibly a little wiser -- but manages to hold on to his individuality in this gentle tale which sneaks plenty of reptilian fact into the rebellious humor.

Verdi © 1997 Janell Cannon. Used with permission of the publisher.