Hungry Poetry Beasts: A Silly Literary Snack Attack

Hi!

     I just finished chewing one of my tennis balls to pieces. It was lots of fun, cracking the squishy stuff up and then tugging at the fuzz. That is, until Allison took it from me. She says blue fuzz isn't good for my "digestion." When I whimpered in confusion, she muttered, "If you eat the ball, you'll get a tummy ache! Chew, don't eat!" 

     Okayokayokay. So no more eating fuzz. I looked up at her with my best puppy eyes. Allison gave me the ball back (repeating that I was not to EAT it), and then she and Rachel read some poems to me. I settled down to chomp and listen. The first poem was called "The Tummy Beast."

"The Tummy Beast" is one of several poems in Roald Dahl's book Dirty Beasts, illustrated by Quentin Blake. It starts, "One afternoon I said to mummy,/'Who is this person in my tummy?'" From there, the pudgy human-pup tries to convince his mama that there is a beast inside him that makes him do bad things like "raid the biscuit tin." When this funny poem reaches its most exciting part, the tummy beast makes sure it gets heard! Awooo! I loved it! My tummy growls for Milkbones a lot, so I know how the pup feels!

The rest of the poems in this book talk about other naughty animals, including a crocodile who eats human-pups with mustard and a winged cow who gets stinky revenge on a bullying grown-up human. The beasts are very dirty and on the hungry side (littler human-pups might not like the poem about the crocodile...that was funny and scary at once), but in general the poems are silly fun. The pictures of the scraggly humans and jaggedly-toothed beasts made the poems come even more alive! Ruff! Two paws up.  Best to read aloud (Allison does different things with her voice to make me jump!) with human-pups PreK-3.  

 *Also recommended: Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes.

     

Just remember that snuggles and laughs are great for growling away scary beasts of all kinds! Woof! (And silly faces and books and family!)

Here's another hurricane poem for you (Allison and I wrote it to laugh at the storm instead of being scared or mad without the lights):

          

  "They say that some wauzers are shy

But Sam? Oh, he'd always say 'Hi!'

He padded up to Irene

And said, 'Ruff! How you been?'

That mad storm nearly blew him sky-high!"

    I really did go out to see that Irene lady-storm. Allison took me out for a quick bathroom trip, even though I hate to get wet. The wind stirred all the leaves around my paws and the branches looked like they wanted to bite my tail off! Luckily, I didn't blow away. And I have a great story to tell my new friends at the dog park (especially Daisy the beagle and Marty the pug, puppies like me!). 

     Anyway, I got so into the first Dirty Beast poems that I forgot not to rip at my ball's fuzzy stuff. Allison took it away - for my own good, she said - and Rachel picked a few poems out from another book to distract me. Awoooo! I go wolfish at night, but maybe Shel Silverstein can tame me?

We only read some of the poems in Where the Sidewalk Ends, but I already have a favorite. There's one about a human-pup getting eaten by a boa constrictor (a big, BIG snake). Sounds scary, but it's funny because the little boy is writing the poem as he's getting swallowed! Yipe! There's also a good one about a boy who loses his head (I don't think I would lose mine, but I'll make sure to have Allison help me find it if I do...need it to sniff and EAT!). Oh! And another about a double-tailed dog! From what my humans and I have read, there is plenty of silliness in this book - in poems both long and short - to satisfy human-pups' need for laughter and imagination. This one makes a pup like me want to write some more poems, myself, arooooo! Two paws up, and best for GR 3-6. Again, read them aloud and have fun acting out the wacky stories within the poems!  

Boa constrictors and dirty beasts aside, I think I should go to sleep before my humans decide I need a bath. I'm getting to be quite a dirty beast myself with all the scampering around with Jacob and playing rough-wrestle-run in the mud at the dog park. Maybe if I act ferocious they won't feel like filling up the tub...

Your very own Dirty Beast Reader,

Sam I Am



Lights Out? Don't Pout!: Of Power Outages and Poetry

Hi!

     If you were wondering why Allison and I didn't write for a long time, it's because of the silly storm. That troublemaker Hurricane Irene! Arooo! Something happened on Sunday night that made the electricity go *BOOM-click* and switch off. This meant no way for Allison to use her computer, so no blogging! And boy, what adventures have I had lately!

     Here's a little paragraph Allison wrote for me on an index card during our power "outage" (because a pup like me wants to remember things):

     "We haven't had this thing called electricity for a whole day. Allison has been reading by the light of little fires on top sticks called 'candles.' They smell sweet and smoky, but hurt my eyes if I stare at them too long. Suz just took me out for the last time - and we saw lots of bright stars. There are no lights on our street, so only the sky gets to twinkle hello to any pups and humans curious enough to be outside. It's been quite a day: bringing boxes of food to Lizzie's and cooking at Lizzie's house - and eating steak (my humans had to cook all the meat before the fridge went to sleep). I played with Lizzie, telling her about the wind-ripped leaves turning all the puddles on my street dark and patchy. Got to go now. Allison says we're going to try making up some poetry by candlelight! Hope I get to blog soon! Ruff!"

---Dictated to and written by Allison by candlelight, 10 pm on August 29, 2011  

     Anyway, because there wasn't any power in our house, my family spent a lot of time outside. In between naps in the grass, I'd watch Allison read some of her longer books, or listen while she read aloud to me. That was during the day. At night, Allison would run around lighting candles; the whole house glowed, making it the perfect time to try more poetry. My humans made the best of a silly situation. And of course, books and imagination always help! Woof! 

A picture of me after coming in from Irene's yucky wind and rain! Snuggles and books helped my family and me stay cheerful during the storm and our time without power! What did you do during Irene? 

     To start our poetry off, we read a book by a human named Jack Prelutsky (Allison said I would get "inspired," whatever that means):

  Dog Days: Rhymes Around the Year by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Dyanna Wolcott, is a short, simple poetry book for human-pups starting to read. The author and illustrator provide a poem and picture for each month of the year, cheerfully and comically showing life from a dog's point of view. My favorite poem was the one for July. It goes: "It's very noisy in July,/ When fireworks light the evening sky./ Though I'm a patriot and proud,/ For ears like mine, it's much too loud." With pictures drawn in what Allison calls "a childlike style" that kids will relate to (with little details here and there like hidden witch hats), this book is a great read for very small human-pups, grades PreK-2. Two paws up!   

Just for fun, Allison and I will be putting some of our hurricane poems up soon. Here's one of my favorites:

When that silly Irene put the lights out,

That good puppy Sam did not pout.

His humans made steak,

And a piece he did take,

In the happiest of moods, I don't doubt!

---Sam I Am & Allison 8/29/11

     Awooooo! I'm very sleepy now, so I think I'll leave writing about the rest of my storm adventures for tomorrow. Did I mention I got to go to the dog park finally? And that I played with Jesse today? It's been so exciting that I'm all tuckered out. Until tomorrow then, friends.

Yours in Hurricanes and Silly Poetry,

Sam I Am

Freedom, Fears, and Other Scary Things

Hi!

     My humans told me that today is what American humans call "Independence Day." That explained all the yummy, charcoal-tinged smells coming from the other yards. Parties!!Aroooooo! It also explained why quite a few humans have put up those funny striped flag-things - and why they're setting off those loud booming fireworks (well, sort of). But. It didn't explain one thing...

     What is independence?
  
      Padding over to Allison, I sat up on my hind legs and put a paw on her knee. I needed an answer. Independence. It's a big word for a little pup like me. I tried to ignore the harsh popping BOOMS coming from outside and twitched my ears at Allison. She finally put her ice cream down (out of my reach, drat!) and spoke.

     "A lot of fuss, huh Sam? It's an important day, you know. Before the first 'Fourth of July,' Americans weren't really free," Allison said. "Who you would call the 'alpha dog' of a place called England wasn't being nice to humans here. After a group of humans decided they wanted to be in a different pack (or form a different country), they signed a paper saying we would be free. FREE!"

     Free?

     "Free, puppy! Free! Think of the feeling you get when you stick your head out of the car window, the wind on your ears. Think of how fierce you feel, how wild, how brave! That's what Americans are celebrating," Allison smiled and scratched me behind the ears.

    I panted a bit. Freedom sounds pretty good, but on the other paw it also seems kind of scary. The American humans' break from the pack of England humans and their alpha seems like a ruff choice. America was on its own all of a sudden; England wasn't going to watch out for them anymore. They would have to find their own kibble and squeaky toys and take care of the little pups by themselves! On top of everything else, Americans had to fight to stay free, according to Allison. Something called a "war" happened. Lots of humans worked hard to make everybody else safe!

Some dogs and humans are still fighting for our freedom. Howls and honors to you, friends.

    I guess freedom is wonderful and scary - and it takes a lot of bravery to get it and hold on to it. In any case, I'm glad that I'm free to hang out with my pack: my family and my friends!    

Here I am being Independent with my friend Lizzie. We'll be Independent together!

      Anyhow, I'm really excited about this whole Independence idea, so I decided that I'm going to start being more brave. My main problem today was where to start...
Then Allison reminded me that I could begin with my fear of those crazy fireworks. I whimpered at this. I don't like those huge booms and light flashes! They make me jump! However, my humans say that being brave doesn't mean you stop being scared - it just means you don't run away!

       To help me understand what facing your fears means, Allison read me a book about some very silly monsters:
  

Click me to view an interview with the author.

Adam Rex's Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich is a book of wacky poems about monsters. Frankenstein's monster makes a sandwich out of the food people throw at him. Dracula has spinach stuck in his canines. The Phantom of the Opera is getting crazy because he has "It's a Small World" in his head, and it won't go away. All of these usually-scary creatures are made comical with terrific illustrations and laugh-out-loud rhymes.

"That's one way to face your fears," Allison murmured. "Use your imagination to turn your fear into something funny."

Woof, I answered. How can I do this?

"Rachel had a good idea," she continued. "You can pretend those booming pops are the pops of a gigantic popcorn machine in the sky. That will make the fireworks less scary!"

Arooooo! Yum. Not a bad idea!

This unique book will satisfy both children (who love monsters and food) and grown-up humans (who Allison says will adore the half-hidden adult jokes and overall humor). The use of different styles of pictures in the book add to my decision: two paws up! I disliked the last poem about Godzilla (it seemed out of place, falling back on "poop" humor), which subtracted a tail wag, but a great read otherwise! Best for grown-up humans and human-pups grades 2-4ish. (Frankenstein Takes the Cake is the sequel, but I did not like it at all - no paws up!)

Off to try the popcorn trip with the fireworks...Happy Independence Day!

Yours in Attempts at Bravery,

Sam I Am

Sniffing Out Good Books - My First Bookstore Adventure

Hi!

     Yesterday was a busy day for my family and me! My humans took me to Burlington, MA to check out a sale at something called "The Used Book Superstore." After an ear-flapping car ride, Allison and Rachel followed me into a pet store to do some shopping while Mama Suz and Daddy went ahead to scout out some good reads. I wasn't allowed inside the bookstore, you see (a silly rule), but I found a new squeaky duck and explored the local park.

Lots to sniff around the Burlington Common!

      Then I went for a walk after giving Allison directions on what to look for in the bookstore.

Here are three of our favorite finds:  

Puppy Victoriana, a small board book (less destructible, so good for human pups who are teething like me). It features pretty old-fashioned pictures of dogs and a few lines of old-fashioned doggerel in between. "Doggie scampers when I call,/And has a heart to love us all." Exciting for dog lovers of all ages, really! Simple, but unique. *There is also a Kitty Victoriana in print for any human with the patience for those evasive felines (the cat next door STILL won't play with me! GrrRuff!).  

Scruffy's Museum Adventure by Claudia Logan, illustrated by Jozeph Zaremba. This story's plucky canine adventurer is like me: a bit scruffy and full of curious mischief. I listened happily to the tale of Scruffy's race through Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Most of the story depends on the illustrations of the paintings and the other strange things Scruffy finds - and also on his comments about each discovery. One of his favorites? A statue of a three-headed dog named Ceberus. (My question is, does he have three tails to wag too?) When the humans in charge of the museum finally catch Scruffy, his family decides on a compromise to keep Scruffy learning about art (you'll have to read to find out!). All and all, a  brief but good dog's eye-view of the MFA for elementary level human-pups and their families. 

Someday, Allison says, she'll take me to Boston to explore, even if I can't actually go into the museum. Maybe I'll sneak in like Scruffy...? I can't wait! YIP! 

The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama. I was a little unsure when I saw the cover of this book. Allison explained that the green winged creature was a dragon. I cocked my head. What's a dragon?

"Well," Allison said, "It's a big flying lizard with the temperament of a kitty and the ability to breathe fire."

I rolled over and whined. Was this going to be a scary book then? But Allison scratched me behind my ears and began to read. "On Monday I asked my mother if I could have a dog..."

As it turns out, the dragon is part of a little boy's smart plan to convince his mama to let him have a dog. Dogs may be messy (hey, everyone makes mistakes) and loud (sometimes I get very excited, yipping and attacking things like cardboard boxes and soda bottles), but they're not as bad as a dragon who eats spaghetti in the bathtub! Once again, a doggy saves the day at the end of this story. Allison especially likes the illustrations, which she calls "retro" and full of bright colors (oranges and greens and yellows, she says)  and the details. This book had my tail wagging, so I'm sure human-pups ages 4-8ish will love it too!

     After all that excitement, I'm ready for a nice calm day. Maybe a bit of snoozing on the big cushy pillow in Allison's room.   

 After all, my humans bought a whole box of books yesterday; I'm going to need lots of energy to keep reading!!!

Yours in book hunts,

Sam I Am