Animal Crackers is a mix of art and poetry, written and illustrated to show what would happen if nature had the power to do to us what we are doing to it.
Animal Crackers is a mix of poetry and art, a creative effort by the brothers Kraynak. While Scott is primarily the artist, and Jeffrey is primarily the writer, to say that one wrote while the other illustrated would be a gross generalization. For our creativity has bridged the divide and neither half would be as good without the input from the other side.
The goal from the start was to create something along the lines of an adult Dr. Seuss book. And to that end it was written in anapestic tetrameter, the poetic meter most often used by him. The illustrations were done in the same fashion typically employed by Scott with his other artwork, a style he has come to term 'linelism'. At first glance it might seem child-friendly with all the pretty little animals. And what kid doesn't love animal crackers? But then you open it and the truth is revealed. This book is not for kids. It is brutal and vulgar and not for the faint of heart. But neither is what we're doing to the environment. And that's the point. Though if I may take a step back and recant a prior statement, this book IS for kids. They need to see what we're doing wrong. While the change needs to start with us, it must continue with them. They are the future. They are the unfortunate shoulders upon which our hopes reside. They are not inheriting the best of worlds, nor an easy one to grow up in, but, as noted by Samuel Daniel, "by adversity are wrought the greatest works of admiration."
