A Curious Collection of Cats: Concrete Poems is a 2009 Children's poetry collection by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Michael Wertz. It is made up of concrete poems in various forms, including haiku, limerick, and free verse, that highlight various aspects of cat behaviour.
 | |
| Author | Betsy Franco |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Michael Wertz |
| Cover artist | Wertz |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's poetry collection |
| Published | 2009 (Tricycle Press) |
| Publication place | USA |
| Media type | Print (hardback) |
| Pages | 40 (unpaginated) |
| ISBN | 9781582462486 |
| OCLC | 881249283 |
Contents
edit- Balancing act
- Shadow's dream
- Tabitha's tail
- A question for Scooter about squirrels
- The great escape
- A tomcat's yard is his kingdom
- Veronica goes wide
- Princess
- Q-tip and Rosie
- Gonzo's snack
- Lenny vs. Patch
- Cat haiku 1
- Cat haiku 2
- A tree for Sammantha
- Rascal's tongue
- Her royal highness
- Yoga cat pose
- That cat peed on my hat
- Fluff is polydactyl
- Bingo's birthday party
- The purrfect scarf
- Hot daze
- Symmetricats
- Ear decorations
- Prickles vs. the golden retriever
- Kissy kat
- Swettie's groceries
- Techno cat
- Limerick on a leash
- Cat under the blanket
- Binky's kittens
- Cat door
Reception
editA review in Kirkus Reviews of A Curious Collection of Cats wrote "Capturing the spirit of each verse, Wertz turns a collection of otherwise unremarkable visual poems into a true treat for the eyes."[1] and The Horn Book Magazine wrote "Together, poet and artist convey the silliness of cats and their humans without ever being silly themselves".[2]
A Curious Collection of Cats has also been reviewed by Booklist,[3] School Library Journal,[4] and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,[5]
It is a 2012 Beehive Poetry Award nominee.[6]
References
edit- ^ "A Curious Collection of Cats". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. March 15, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ "A Curious Collection of Cats". Horn Book Guides. Media Source Inc. 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ "A Curious Collection of Cats". Booklist. American Library Association. 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
Once kids get the feel of how to follow the lines—up and down or in curving jumps or around the page borders––they will have fun with the playful images.
- ^ Teresa Pfeifer. "A Curious Collection of Cats". School Library Journal. Media Source Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
The poems are so embedded within the illustrations that it is hard to imagine them without the artwork; they are virtually inseparable.
- ^ Deborah Stevenson (July 2009). "Franco, Betsy. A Curious Collection of Cats". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 62 (11). Johns Hopkins University Press: 442. doi:10.1353/bcc.0.1049. S2CID 145809237. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
We've had a fair amount of dog poetry in the last few years, so it's only fair that cats get their turn too.
- ^ "Children's Poetry Nominees (2002-2019)" (PDF). claubeehive.org. The Children's Literature Association of Utah. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
