Module 14:Poetry and Story Collections

A Curious Collection Of Cats: concrete poems 

by Betsy Franco

Summary: This book is a fun collection of concrete poems about cats.  There are 34 visual poems that have text going every which way making reading the poems fun for children. The poems tell the stories of each of the different cats and their various personality traits.
My Impressions: I enjoyed reading this book and thought the pictures wer eye catching.  I know children love to look at these poems and turn the book in which ever direction is needed to read each part of the poems.
Reviews:
Author:  Susan Dove Lempke

In an ideal match of subject and form, poet Franco uses the sinuous shapes and playful motions of cats to distill the essence of felines in all their grace and ridiculousness. Each of the thirty-two concrete poems is a mini-depiction of a particular cat, as in "Veronica Goes Wide": "Veronica's gotten so pudgy / and PLUMP, / she now mostly acts like a snuggable / lump"; the poem is written across the yellow cat, with the M in lump formed from her ears. Cats interact with dogs, with squirrels, with one another, and with people in a variety of funny ways, but Franco uses words so precisely to capture cats' behavior that cat-lovers will feel a shock of recognition. Cat-haters may, too, as Franco lays bare the less-charming aspects of life with cats, as in "cat haiku 1" ("Tuna fish dinner / Kitty washes down her meal / sips from toilet bowl") and the self-explanatory "that cat peed on my hat." Wirtz's illustrations, monoprints adjusted in Adobe Photoshop, keep the words that wrap and weave around the cats readable while still creating visual interest in the backgrounds. Together, poet and artist convey the silliness of cats and their humans without ever being silly themselves. S.D.L. 

Author: Hazel Rochman   

PreS-Gr. 3.

Words and pictures blend in these concrete poems about cats, written in forms that include haiku, limerick, and free verse. 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. One poem is in the shape of a feline tail. Another describes Kabob the cat's fall upside down, and not only do the pictures show his movement, but the words do, too. When felines fight, the position of the words mirrors their furious screeches, howls, pouncing, and biting. Cat lovers will recognize the standoffs with arching backs, the cozy touch of the "purrfect" scarf on their shoulders, and the tech-savvy cat who walks across the keyboard to add her own note to an e-mail to a friend.--Hazel Rochman 

Library Use: This book would be a starting point in a poetry unit because they are easy to write and the children can let their imaginations go into high gear to create the pictures.  I could see using water colors here as well (in the classroom of course.)
Resource List:
Franco, B. (2009). A curious collection of cats: concrete poems. Berkley, CA: Tricycle Press.
Lempke, S.D. (2009, May-June).  Review of the book A Curious Collection of Cats: Concrete Poems, Betsy Franco.  The Horn Book Magazine, 85(3), 314. Retrieved from Literature Resource Center.http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA200722932&v=2.1&u=txshracd2679&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w

Rochman, H. (2009, March 15).  Review of the book A Curious Collection of Cats, By Betsy Franco.  Booklist, 105(14), 62.Retrieved from Literature Resource Center. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA196304356&v=2.1&u=txshracd2679&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w