bow wow meow meow

Starred review from February 10, 2003
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 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 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.

May 1, 2003
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 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 1, 2003
PreS-Gr. 2. One glance at the hot-pink jacket (a manic kitty in a pose from Edvard Munch's " The Scream" holds a small dog in its gaping mouth), and it's clear that Florian's latest poetry collection has all the exuberance of his previous works. Once again, he combines playful, animal-inspired verse and childlike watercolors. This time his focus is on cats and dogs, and his musings on the characteristics of various breeds are hilarious: "Who always yanks / the tail off a Manx?" reads the text that accompanies an image of a startled feline watching a hand remove the question-mark curl of its tail. Also familiar is Florian's unabashed delight in puns: "I am a cat of longhaired version / A pet-igree that's known as purrrsian." The imaginative brushwork is excellent here as Florian coaxes remarkable expression and humor out of a very few lines. Especially wonderful is the map of a dog's brain sectioned off into lobes for canine pursuits such as "play dead," "bones," and "Fifi." Most of the brief selections are rhymed couplets, but a few concrete poems and typefaces that play with the poems' subjects add variety. In this winning collection, both clever and silly, Florian again shows how much fun poetry can be.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)