HOPKINS COLLECTION

A PET FOR ME: POEMS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hopkins, Lee Bennett, comp. 2003. A Pet for Me: Poems. Ill. By Jane Manning. New York: HarperCollins.  ISBN 0060291117.

SUMMARY

In A Pet for Me, Lee Bennett Hopkins compiles twenty poems by well-known children’s poets such as Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Fran Haraway. These poems all have one thing in common: they are all about the love of pets! From cats to tarantulas, the pets that these poems highlight are brought to life, demonstrating the deep bond and friendship that exists between children and their pets.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Poets

The thirteen poets featured in this collection, Hopkins’ seventh, are a mixture well-known children’s authors and lesser-known children’s poets. Readers will recognize Alice Schertle’s style from her famous How Now, Brown Cow? book and J. Lewis Patrick’s familiar sing-song rhythm that is characteristic of all of his works. Readers will equally delight in reading the works of Avis Harley, who is well-versed in writing poems about animals, and Tom Robert Shields, who has been featured in other of Hokpins’ collections. This unit of poets, both traditional and contemporary, effectively blends together seamlessly, creating a cohesive feel yet bringing out each poet’s individual style and forte.

Layout

The introductory poem, “I Would Like to Have a Pet” by Karla Kuskin, appropriately sets the light-hearten tone and introduces the theme of this collection.  In this poem, the speaker expresses a longing for a pet, no matter what pet it may be. This serves as a great springboard for all the other poems that follow, each of which focuses on a specific type of pet or animal. The poems begin with familiar pets like dogs and cats and then progresses into more unusual pets like snakes and tarantulas. Each poem is given a two-page spread, meaning that readers take in one poem at a time. Also, each poem is accompanied by Jane Manning’s colorful illustrations. Manning’s drawings are a perfect blend between simple, stark outlines and carefully line strokes to bring out details. In the illustration that accompanies “Ant Farm,” for instance, a boy is pictured holding an ant farm and, although the viewer cannot make out the ant form in this far-away shot, the ants are given detail in an outer frame.  An Index of Authors and Titles provided at the end of this collection is an access feature that helps readers navigate through the book.  The last poem, written by Lee Bennett Hopkins, speaks generally about pets, giving the collection a frame-like feel and reminding readers of the “moments/[and] hours/of/pet-loving days.”

Poetic Elements

Collectively, the poems in A Pet for Me demonstrate a large array of poetic elements that young readers will appreciate.  Of the twenty poems included, nineteen rely heavily on end rhyme.  “Kitten Capers” by Aileen Fisher, for instance, is a 4-line poem with and alternating rhyme scheme ABAB, and “Ant Farm” by Madeleine Comora, a 12-line poem, is set in rhyming couplets.  Another element seen in many of the poems in this collection is imagery. In “Hamster Hide-and-Seek,” Avis Harley especially appeals to the sense of touch, as she describes a hamster who “softly flows” wither a “cinnamon coat/and whiskery nose,” allowing the reader to not only imagine what this hamster looks like but also to imagine what it feels like. In “Puppy Olympics,” Avis Harley exemplifies excellent use of poetic sound techniques such as repetition and alliteration, such as when she describes a puppy that “round and round/and round…goes” in a “flurry of fur,” emphasizing a comical scene of a dog chasing his tail.  Due to the nature of this collection, it is clear that each individual poem delivers a warm, loving emotional impact.  “Dog Love” by X.J. Kennedy states the general feel of the entire collection when he writes that “I wouldn’t trade [my pet]/for all the [pets] in town!”

Appeal

A Pet for Me is definitely appealing for young readers.  Their short nature—the longest poem comes in at sixteen lines—and subject matter will hold young children’s interest; the poems are short enough to be read quickly and, thus, make them likely to be read over and over again. Readers will connect to the familiar experience of the longing for a pet or the bond they may already have with a pet of their own.  The poems in this collection bring up common pets that children are likely to have interacted with but also draw attention to other interesting animals like snakes and tarantulas, which will certainly pique some readers’ interests and help them see these animals in a new light. Additionally, the poems have a nursery-rhyme quality that is amplified by poetic techniques, namely rhyme.  To further add to the appeal of the words, Manning’s illustrations beautifully capture the essence of each pet, most of whom are drawn with a child, further cementing the loving relationship between a child and his pet. Furthermore, the language used throughout this collection is simple for young readers to understand, yet some words lend the opportunity for readers to expand their vocabulary in a non-threatening, such as the words “sprouts” and “stiff” that describe a turtle and can be understood through context.  Readers will surely be inspired to celebrate their pets too.

Overall Quality

Hopkins’ collection features familiar, well-known poets established in the children’s literature arena. While each of the twenty poems has a different focal point, none strays from the quality of the collection’s intention. As a collection for young readers, it is clear that each poem was carefully selected not only for its content but also for its poetic worth.  All poems represent a similar mood: to rejoice in the friendship that exists between a young child and his pet. Although the mood may be consistent throughout, the poems help evoke different emotions in the readers. Some poems, such as “Just Fur Fun” by J. Patrick Lewis, create a good-humored feel, while others, such as “Pet Snake” by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, will make readers squirm as they envision the hissing sound of a snake.

SPOTLIGHT POEM AND ACTIVITIES

“Pet” by Lee Bennett Hopkins

All pets give love back

to you

in many

mysterious

wondrous way—

wet kisses

soft hisses

snuggles

neighs—

through moments

through hours

of

pet-loving days.

Hopkins’ own poem concludes his collection, adequately bringing closure to this book about pets. The other poems included each focus on a specific pet, and Hopkins wraps up the sentiment of love and friendship that a pet, no matter what kind it is, can provide.  His poem, like the others included in the book, uses strong imagery that appeals to the senses—readers can feel the “wet kisses,” hear the “soft hisses.”  This poem also stresses the collection’s overarching theme that pets give a special kind of love to their owners.

To introduce this poem, I would place students in small groups (2-3 students each) and give each group a stuffed animal—a snake, a bird, a puppy, a cat, a turtle, an iguana, a horse, etc. I would ask students to discuss how their animal might show love to them and have the share out their discussions with the class. I would asks guiding questions like, “How might (your animal) hug you? What would that feel like? How might (your animal) kiss you? What would that feel like?” Then, I would tell the students that Lee Bennett Hopkins’ poem “Pet Love” is about the different ways that pets can demonstrate their love. As we read the poem, I would stop and ask students if they can tell which animal is described in certain lines by how they show their love. This would allow me to emphasize Hopkins’ use of onomatopoeia and imagery.