Douglas Florian (Insectlopedia, The Mammalabilia) is at it again. The 21 poems and paintings in his new collection, Bow Wow Meow Meow, will tickle young dog and cat lovers—and just about everyone else, too. Florian’s painting of a poodle, essentially a riot of curls and a pink hair bow, accompanies a four-line concrete poem cleverly typeset in swirls on the opposite page:Poodles have oodles and oodles of curls,
Which makes poodle boys look like poodle girls.
The curls may have whirls, while the whirls may have swirls.
Poodles have oodles and oodles of curls. Florian has fun with bulldogs, pointers, Siamese, and Manx, but he doesn’t limit himself to domestic breeds. Wolves, lions, and ocelot ("Why ocelots have lots of spots puzzles ocelot") are also featured. All the paintings have wonderful juvenile appeal—-many of them are flat-out funny—-and the leopard painting, in particular, is worth the price of the book. In fact, you may need two copies: one for framing and one to savor with the kids. (All ages) --Jennifer Lindsay


From School Library Journal
Grade 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, IDCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
*Starred Review* 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. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


San Francisco Chronicle, Nov 21 2003
"Wit and whimsy are everywhere..."


Review
"A high-spirited treat for animal lovers and an inspiration for young poets and painters."


Book Description
It's rhyming cats and dogs in Douglas Florian's furrr-ocious collection of twenty-one original poems and paintings about our favorite animal friends. From barking Chihuahuas and pointing pointers to leaping leopards and purring Persians, here is a canine and feline compendium certain to have everyone barking for joy.



About the Author
DOUGLAS FLORIAN is the creator of many acclaimed picture books and poetry collections, including lizards, frogs, and polliwogs; mammalabilia; and insectlopedia. He lives in New York City.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It's rhyming cats and dogs in Douglas Florian's furrr-ocious collection of twenty-one original poems and paintings about our favorite animal friends. From barking Chihuahuas and pointing pointers to leaping leopards and purring Persians, here is a canine and feline compendium certain to have everyone barking for joy.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

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 [that] 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 [and] 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. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature - Susan Hepler

Another of Florian's themed poems, awash with delightful plays on words, puns, and animal observations is just the ticket for cat and dog lovers. Poems are neatly divided, half for dog, and second half, as cat...chat. Illustrations are loosely painted, appealing, and most appropriately "toothy." My favorite poem is the familiar pointer who points, not at foxes or hares￯﾿ﾽbut at Frigidaires. Florian should be declared a national treasure. 2003, Harcourt,

School Library Journal

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 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews