Bow Wow Meow Meow by Douglas Florian

A. Bibliography

Florian, Douglas, Bow Wow Meow Meow, Ill. by Douglas Florian. Harcourt Inc. 2003. ISBN # 0-15-216395-6.

B. Plot/Summary

A collection of 21 short and humorous poems about dogs and cats.

C. Critical Analysis

The collection is arranged with 12 short poems about dogs and 10 poems about cats. The dogs are introduced by a poem called, "Dog Log" which describes the day in a life of dogs. The cats are introduced by a poem called, "Cat Chat" which describes the day in a life of cats. After each introduction, individual breeds are featured such as Bloodhound, Bulldog, Poodles, Dalmatian, Persian, Lion, and Manx.

Each of the poems makes excellent use of rhyme to make the poem fun and humorous. For example, "Who always yanks/The tail off the Manx?" The verses are rhythmic and descriptive of dogs and cats; the use of onomatopoeias and playful words such as "Scent-sational" and "purrrsian" capture the joy of the animals. I really liked the use of typeset to add character to the poem. For example, with the poodle, the seperate lines are written in a four circular motion to give the illusion curls.

The author also illustrates this collection of animal poems. The illustrations are childlike watercolor on brown paper. Each poem of a particular dog or cat has an accompaning colorful painting that adds character to the poem.

D. Awards/ Review Excerpt

Gryphon Award 2004

White Ravens Award 2004

2X2 Reading List 2004

Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Feb. 1, 2003) "In this winning collection, both clever and silly, Florian again shows how much poetry can be."

Jeanenne (BookHive (http://www.bookhive.org/)) "A great read for pet lovers, poetry lovers, or anyone looking for a jolly read."

E. Connections

*other books by Douglas Florian:

A Pig is Big. Greenwillow 2000.

Winter Eyes. Greenwillow 1999.

*Other cat poetry books:

Caroline Walsh, The Little Book of Cats. Kingfisher, 1996.

Nancy Larrick, Cats are Cats: Poems. Philomel, 1988.

*Other dog poetry books:

Daniel Kirk, Dogs Rule!. Hyperion, 2003.

Tony Johnston, Its All About Dogs: Poems. Harcourt, 2000.