LITTLE DOG POEMS

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
George, Kristine O’Connell. 1999. LITTLE DOG POEMS. Ill. By June Otani. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0395822661

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Little Dog scampers through a day starting by waking up his owner “Little Dog’s cold nose is better than any alarm clock”. He “barks and chases the noisy enemy around the house until the vacuum learns its lesson and stops growling”. Thirty poems chronicle a day in the life of this canine, showcasing his talents as a sentinel (“I move a chair to the front window, so Little Dog can supervise the neighborhood”) , an air traffic controller (“Shhhh. Little Dog must rest after chasing that airplane away”), and a thief(“Oh, Dog./ I bought you toys./ Why my new socks?).
The day ends with both mistress and dog fast asleep together in one bed.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This poetry book by Kristine O’Connell George is written for young readers. The language is very simple. The most challenging vocabulary words are peering which Little Dog does in the poem “Evening”(peering into the darkness) and sentinel, which is the title of the poem in which Little Dog “wants to see what is going on outside”. A young girl and her dog are a topic which most young readers can relate to, and, although none of the poems rhyme, they are easy to follow. The presentation of the poems is interesting. In “Wisdom” the last word’s two syllables are written vertically so that fully in carefully spreads down to the bottom of the page. “Morning Nap” is a concrete poem which curls up just like Little Dog does while he is sleeping. In “Thief” the three lines of the poem are written with much space in between. The reader can almost hear the frustration in the little girl’s voice as she scolds her dog for taking her socks instead of playing with his toys.

June Otani’s illustrations add great appeal to this book of poems. Each poem is accompanied by a watercolor illustration of the young owner and/or the little dog, which was drawn as a terrier. From the dog, who is looking out of the back window in “Car Ride” to a clearly reprimanded canine peeking out from under the bed he wasn’t supposed to be on in “Mystery”, each illustration enhances the imagery of the poem’s words. Without the illustrations, this collection would not be as enjoyable. The illustrator clearly shines in this book.


4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Publisher's Weekly: “ Experienced dog owners will recognize the familiar behavior of a winsome brown puppu as it attacks the “enemy” vacuum cleaner until it “stops growling” or as it barks until its owner “witnesses the triumph-one cornered beetle.” Otani’s skillful watercolors of the girl and her fluff of a dog are sweetly fetching. Otani’s familiarity with the exuberance and joy of puppies and children shines through her delicate watercolors, and she depicts their pounces and feints, cuddles, and anticipation, with a deft sense of line. George’s text, however, is disappointingly slight. Despite Otani’s engaging and inventive illustrations, this depiction of a girl and her dog seems uninspired.”

School Library Journal: “Thirty short poems about a lively terrier, narrated by the dog’s young mistress. The girl describes how her pet wakes her up in the morning, chases the vacuum cleaner, digs holes in the garden, chews up her sock, snuggles up at bedtime, etc. Each poem appears on a separate page and is accompanied by a realistic watercolor-and-ink illustration. The appealing paintings show the pooch interacting with its owner, a sweet faced girl. The poetry and painting in LITTLE DOG POEMS complement one another wonderfully and bring to life an engaging canine character.”

5. CONNECTIONS
Students will have the chance to read other author’s poetry collections about dogs. Then have the students either create a topical poem book about dogs (taking poems from other author collections and adding their own illustrations) or try to create a collection of poems written about their favorite animal.

Poem books about dogs:
Crawley, Dave. DOG POEMS. ISBN 1590784545
George, Kristine O’Connell. LITTLE DOG AND DUNCAN. ISBN 061811758X
Prelutsky, Jack. MY DOG MAY BE A GENIUS. ISBN 0066238625
Sklansky, Amy E. FROM THE DOGHOUSE: POEMS TO CHEW ON. ISBN 080506673X