From the Doghouse: Poems to Chew On

by Amy E. Sklansky, Karla Firehammer (Illustrator), Karen Dismukes (Illustrator)

A spirited celebration of dogs

"My tail won’t stop its wagging.
My rear end has an ache.
Back and forth and back and forth–
It never takes a break!"

Dogs. Dogs. Dogs. Big dogs, small dogs, cowboy dogs, and even astrodogs! In poems that bounce and spill and shoot off into space (just like their subjects!) and stunning hand-beaded pictures that capture the true nature of man’s best friend, this delightful collection celebrates dogs in all their tail-wagging, tongue-lolling glory.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Dogs, Animals

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Amy E. Sklansky has been writing books for children since 2002. Her dozen works include poetry, picture books, and board books.

Reviews

[Paige Freeman]

I really liked this book of poetry and the illustrations. I was drawn to this one by the illustrations throughout because they are made with beads and thread. The pictures are actually photographs of what the authors call "beading." There is a couple of pages at the end of this book that explain how it is done and how much time and effort was spent on each one. It was really interesting! This book is compiled of multiple poems about dogs and has a very humorous tone. There are poems based around the personification of dogs, but then also from the perspective of the owner. There are many forms of poems in this piece that can be used in different ways. There are poems in multimodal form, ones that rhyme and others that do not, and one that reminds me of 21 questions. I play 21 questions with my kindergarteners during writer's workshop to help them pay attention to detail and to also remember details when they hear it. The first poem in this book gives the reader clues about a dog and then leads them to find the answer using text and the creative illustrations. I would use this poem as an example and have my students write their own 21 questions mystery picture.

[Claudia Naranjo]

I love this book!!!!!!! This is a collection of poems from the point of view of different dogs. Each poem is about something dogs love to do, like going around, digging, or just scratching. The illustrations are amazing. They used thousands of beads to make every single illustration!

[Nicole Angelo]

I am a dog lover and this book was just adorable. The poems were so cute and would be fun to read to children. It could even teach kids a lot about what dogs like to do if they have never owned one before. Overall an A+++! :)

[Reba]

The twenty- six poems in this book highlight the things that dogs love and appreciate as well as the negative aspects of being a dog. The beaded illustrations in this book are fantastic.

[E. Adrian]

Adorable poems & unique artwork!