Toad Rage, by Morris Gleitzman

OK, this book came out in 1999, so all the rest of you have probably read it before, but I just got it on tape. From the blurb: "Limpy is desperate to save his family from ending up as placemats. Somehow, he must make humans see how nice cane toads really are. This is the epic story of a slightly squashed young cane toad's quest for the truth."

What can I say? The Australian author, reading his own work on the CD, almost makes me forget how annoying the Geico and Outback TV ads are, and each short, snappy chapter ends with a perfect little jazz riff on drum set and marimba. When the first "rellie" is killed on page two, you respond (appropriately) with howls of laughter. Maybe I shouldn't listen to this while driving...