Granny Will Your Dog Bite?

by Gerald Milnes, Kimberly B. Root (Illustrator)

A collection of rhymes about various aspects of mountain life.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Music, Folklore

45 pages, Hardcover

First published January 25, 1990

Reviews

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of poems for younger children.

[Cheri Ragland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somewhere we are connected to a little old lady sitting on a porch, rocking in a chair, sitting next to her husband as he play a banjo, rocking in his chair. If you listen quietly while reading this book, you can hear just that! Full of laughter, poems, riddles, songs, and toe tappers, "Granny will your dog bite" is sure to get you "actin a fool". This book was dedicated to a night in 1975, when Gerald Milnes knocked on a strangers door, holding a banjo and a smile. This book takes you back to a time when dances were a big hit at the local barn, when love was all that was in the air, and when fiddles and banjos played in every home. It has such beautiful illustrations, that coincide with the writings. The pictures are well thought out, vivid colors and details, engaging any reader to admire his work. The pictures are mostly funny and child oriented, some pages contain eight to ten pictures, each prepared for the story it belongs to.
In a classroom I would utilize this book for art and reading. It could also be used to show different forms of poems, songs, and riddles. History could be brought into the classroom, by understanding why these "folk" spoke this way and why they had fiddles or banjos. It is a very easy read for younger children, some writings would need assistance from an adult if under the age of eight. "Little minnow in the brook, daddy caught him on a hook, mama fried him in the pan, baby ate him like a man." This short, yet informational poem, expresses the way of mountain life in a child's perspective. Overall, this was a great read and awesome pictures.

[Rebekah Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had very bad grammar. It reminded me of square dancing and the rhymes they use to call the dance. The pictures really added to the poems. I liked the book but some of the words were hard to pronounce because of the letters used.

[Mckinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lyrics of folk-songs. No music scores.