bow wow meow meow: it's rhyming cats and dogs FROM THE PUBLISHER
It's rhyming cats and dogs in Douglas Florian's furrr-ocious collection of twenty-one original poems and paintings about our favorite animal friends. From barking Chihuahuas and pointing pointers to leaping leopards and purring Persians, here is a canine and feline compendium certain to have everyone barking for joy.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Florian fans will be delighted with another edition of his funny, punny poems about animals. This time, the focus is on dogs and cats. Like an American Kennel Club judge, Florian focuses on one breed at a time. "The Chihuahua" certainly "can bark a brouhaha" and "The Bloodhound" has "senses [that] are/ Scent-sational." Domestic and wild breeds sit side by side: "The Lion" has a most "fur-ocious roar," and "The Jaguarundi" likes "to play/ In jaguarundi-wear" (it dribbles a basketball dressed in blue briefs). As usual, Florian depicts the subjects in quirkily apt illustrations that distill the essence of his subjects. In the line drawing of a dalmation, he dots both chair and dog with Jackson Pollack-like black spatters. The "fleet [and] fast" cheetah, whose "four furry feet/ have already passed," appears with only his hindquarters remaining in the illustration. Like a medical school anatomical drawing, "The Dog Log" shows the dog's brain mapped out with areas labeled "Fetch," "Smells," "Bones" and more. While a few paintings may seem over the top (e.g., the bloodhound is surrealistically depicted as having a nose that houses a smaller hound), most are exceedingly clever. Even the typography plays a part in the humor, as in the curlicue lines of "The Poodles" ("Poodles have oodles and oodles of curls,/ Which makes poodle boys look like poodle girls"). Ages 5-10. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
Children's Literature - Susan Hepler
Another of Florian's themed poems, awash with delightful plays on words, puns, and animal observations is just the ticket for cat and dog lovers. Poems are neatly divided, half for dog, and second half, as cat...chat. Illustrations are loosely painted, appealing, and most appropriately "toothy." My favorite poem is the familiar pointer who points, not at foxes or haresﾽbut at Frigidaires. Florian should be declared a national treasure. 2003, Harcourt,
School Library Journal
Gr 1-5-Twenty-one humorous poems and paintings about dogs, cats, the wolf, and a few large felines. Each spread features a poem and an accompanying impressionistic full-page illustration of the breed or animal. There are short poems ("I am a cat of longhaired version./A pet-igree that's known as purrrsian"), some a bit longer, and one that curls like poodles' hair. The language has flair, and the writing is zany and creative. The watercolor paintings in primarily pastel colors are great fun, revealing an attribute or the character of each animal. This is a delightful selection to read aloud to younger children, and it offers older students models of simple poems that really work. A definite contender for "best in show."-Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Florian continues his poetic exploration of the entire animal kingdom, last visited in lizards, frogs, and polliwogs (2001), with this seventh entry in his successful series, following the same distinctive format: a large, square size with each short poem facing a full-page illustration. The 21 poems (with all but one rhyming) include "Dog Log" and "Cat Chat" to introduce the reader to more general characteristics, nine poems about specific dog breeds, and one about cousin wolf. Ten additional poems are about cats, mainly larger, wild cats such as the cheetah, the ocelot, and the poetically named jaguarundi, who "likes to play in jaguarundi-wear." Three selections are concrete poems, and a four-line poem, "The Dalmatian," has every letter o filled in to create an additional kind of spot. Several of the poems end with a dash of Ogden Nash panache: the bloodhound with senses that are "scent-sational" or the one-line question-shaped poem about the ocelot: "Why ocelots have lots of spots puzzles ocelot." Florian's playful watercolor illustrations have their usual understated charm, with muted tones, bold lines, and clever touches of offbeat humor. It's rhyming cats and dogs for sure, and the creative Florian poetic zoo continues to grow. (Poetry. 4-10)
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