Wendy Videlock’s poems contain laughing pears, rhyming coyotes, and jaded wind. In reading this book, I found myself laughing and gasping in equal measures. And cursing, as well, because Videlock is so damn good and I’m so damn jealous of her talent. She is one of my very favorite poets.
—Sherman Alexie

Reminiscent in some ways of Shel Silverstein’s classic collections, Videlock’s new book, The Dark Gnu and Other Poems, supplements sly whimsy with mystery and a hint of tragedy. These poems remind readers “of all inconceivable ages” that not all problems have solutions and that some narratives end in mystery rather than in resolution.
The Dark Gnu is enhanced by the author’s illustrations that deepen the allure of the poems.
The voice is unmistakably Videlock’s, but in this new collection we hear the echoes of Lewis Carroll and Edward Gorey.
These are the sorts of poems that children will demand to hear again and again and that parents will want to recite to each other and to their friends.
—Jeremy Telman