Fur, Fangs, and Footprints: A Collection of Poems About Animals

by Patricia M. Stockland (Editor), Sara Rojo-Perez (Illustrator), Sara Rojo (Illustrator)

An anthology of poems about animals, plus "Toolbox tips" that help the reader understand poetry and how poems are written.

Genres: Picture Books, Poetry

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Amy Ballard · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my poetry book I chose Fur, Fangs, and Footprints- A collection of poems about animals.It was written by Patricia Stockland and illustrated by Sara Rojo Perez. The first thing I really liked about this book was that it included a table of contents for children and the teacher to take breaks for teaching purposes. The first two pages cover a toolbox for rules regarding poetry. Then it goes into poems the first one, “Roger the Dog,” then “Cats,” both very suitable for children. I also realy liked at the end of every poem on the bottom of the page there is a toolbox tip relating to that poem. At the very end of the book it has a poet’s toolbox glossary which includes all words associated with poetry. This would be very useful when discussisng each poem. I think this would be a great resource for teaching poetry in the classroom.

[Nicole White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fur, Fangs, and Footprints Compiled by Patricia M. Stockland

1. Genre: Poetry

2. Fur, Fangs, and Footprints is an adorable book of poems about animals, but it also is a great instructional tool for teaching poetry.

3. a. Area for Comment: Usefulness for Classroom Instruction

b. Each poem has its own page, as well as a “toolbox tip” for teaching children specific terms and critical thinking skills. The poems also include a colorful illustration which add to the book’s usefulness in the classroom.

c. For example, in the poem “What They Said”, the author adds a “toolbox tip” at the bottom of the page to instruct the reader on the poet’s use of personification. I would definitely use this book as a supplement to lessons to my young students when teaching poetry.

[Taylor Horvat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy the poetry books that Patricia M. Stockland compiles and annotates. This poetry book is really great with the set of tips on each page about poetry for students to not only read poems about animals, but to learn about poetry and the different elements of a poem.

I would use this book for a read aloud when doing a unit about animals for any grades between 3rd and 5th grade. Students would enjoy the fun and upbeat poems about animals, and they would expand their general knowledge of poetry due to the vocabulary words at the bottom of each poem that teach readers about an element of poetry.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to poetry for young children.