A Dazzling Display Of Dogs (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This book was okay for me because it was very confusing to read. I appreciate the creativity the author and illustrator did in making the text involved with the illustrations. However, I did not like how it made the text difficult to read and how it was shaped into circles and patterns. I feel it took away from the text. The book did include different styles of poems such as an haiku. I learned there can be times where illustrations can take away from the experience of reading of the text. However, some of the poems that were not too distracting could be used in the classroom. I did like the poem "Letting Gwen In and Out." The poems could be relevant for children who have dogs as pets. Some of the concrete poems in this volume are fabulously done, others less well put-together. Nonetheless, it's a wildly colorful and creative group of poems. Certain poems really lend themselves to the concrete form (Baloo Got Out, Emmett's Ode to His Tennis Ball, Dog Haiku), while others are just kind of there (Pug Appeal, When Lucy the Cat Came to My Home). Many of the illustrations are so busy that it's difficult to get through the poem (Old Lottie on a Walk, Old Jimbo Claims the Chair). As a complete collection, I'm not too wild about the book - but I do like many of the individual pieces/illustrations.
What do You think about A Dazzling Display Of Dogs (2011)?
Looking forward to using this book for National Poetry Month in April. The kids will love it.
—zulu
Very busy but think kids will like this book of poems. It has a collection of poems on dogs.
—erika
I can't wait to see what my dog-loving students think of this!
—Martha
