If Pets Wrote Poems: A Parody Collection

With this artful collection, Johnston Taylor cleverly riffs on the works of well-known poets such as Lucille Clifton, Emily Dickinson, Pablo Neruda, and others to pen verse from the perspective of the writers’ beloved animals. The result offers a whirlwind introduction to varied poets and the pets at their sides. In “To Elizabeth, My Person,” a cocker spaniel declares, “Dearest one, with ink-stained hand, I sit awaiting your command,” modeling lines on Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “To Flush, My Dog.” Similarly, Edgar Allan Poe’s tortoiseshell feline Catterina adapts “The Raven,” and Charlotte Brontë’s goose and Beatrix Potter’s lizard likewise make their authorial debuts. Sonke’s confident and colorful cartoons wrap around text, presenting the subjects with an effortless-feeling simplicity, and bios for each poet help illuminate the literary play that’s occurring in this altogether amusing poetic romp. Further reading and references conclude. Ages 6–8. (Apr.)