Little Dog Poems

Little Dog Poems

By Kristine O’Connell George

Illustrated by June Otani

Clarion Books

Copyright 1999

pp.40

Little Dog Poems

Required

    Little Dog Poems is an adorable poem book for the younger elementary student. Each poem tells a story about the life of the little dog using very few, but powerful words. I feel these poems are meant to be read aloud because the tempo, rhythm, and junctures are important elements to the story of the poem. In the poem Mail Delivery, one can tell the author wants to reader to pause after each word by the spacing of the words on the page. This poem is meant to be very slow and deliberate, just like the dog bringing in the mail one   at   a   time. The illustrations are delightful and help tell the story of each poem. I particularly enjoyed the poem Morning Nap because of the way the author shaped the words of the poem into a circle. I could connect this to the times I have seen dogs turning in circle after circle before they lay down for a rest. I have always wondered why dogs to do this, maybe it is to be the same size as the sunny spot!