Laura Purdie Salas

Small Reads for Brighters Days

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Home
  • Laura’s Books
  • Poetry
    • Poems Published Elsewhere
    • My Poetry–a Sampler
    • Poetry Videos
    • How To Write Poetry
      • Poetic Pursuits
  • For Teachers
  • Presentations
  • Freelancer
  • About
    • Press Kit
      • Short Bios
      • Awards & Honors
      • Author Photos
      • Book Covers
      • Book Reviews
      • In the Press
    • Who Am I?
    • How I Became a Writer
  • Blog
    • Review Policy
  • For Writers
You are here: Home / Poems for Teachers / A Dazzling Display of Dogs, by Betsy Franco

A Dazzling Display of Dogs, by Betsy Franco

September 20, 2011 By Laura

Saturday night we had a surprise party for my almost 16-year-old daughter. Yesterday, I read the poetry collection A Dazzling Display of Dogs, by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Michael Wertz (Tricycle Press, 2011), guaranteed to make any dog lover smile (and probably most non dog-lovers, too). 

A Dazzling Display of Dogs by Betsy Franco: Book Cover

I love it when poems connect to my real life in an obvious, immediate way. Saturday night, Jack got into party treats of some kind. He was not feeling good.

Neither was I as I washed his bed and blankets the next morning.

But I did have to laugh as I read "Baloo Got Out."

Baloo Got Out

Baloo got out!
Baloo got out!
Baloo raced out the gate.

He went inside Ms. Johnston's house
and this is what he ate:

Some popcorn
and an apple,
a cupcake
and a steak.
A teddy bear,
a grapefruit peel,
a green organic shake.
Some coffee grounds,
the cat food,
a taco
and some peas,
an apricot,
a home-made tart,
and some moldy cheddar cheese.

I hear Ms. Johnston yelling.
I guess we're all too late.
Baloo got out! Baloo got out!
He'll have a bellyache!

–Betsy Franco, all rights reserved

Poem Starter: Write a list poem about what your pet might eat if he or she got out. If you don't have a pet, imagine if you had a really unusual one, like an orca or a rhino!

Tagged With: Betsy Franco, concrete poems, poems, poetry books

Share:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)

Related

« Poetry Friday: Spider (Alice Schertle)
The Loudest Quiet »

JANUARY NEWS

I loved the holidays! And I'm so glad they're over. A quiet, snowy January is just what I need. This month, I'm working on two board book manuscripts, and I'm making materials to go with my 3 spring 2023 books.

I'm also busy prepping for upcoming author visits and setting my goals and priorities for 2023. Wishing you a lovely start to your own new year!

Are You Looking For…?

  • Poems for the Classroom
  • Poetryactions
  • 15 Words or Less Poems
  • Poetry Activities for Teachers

Tags

15 Words or Less Poems 30 Painless Classroom Poems anthologies A Rock Can Be... BookSpeak! Can Be... books classroom connections conferences and conventions equation poems events free verse haiku imagepoems image poems J. Patrick Lewis Kidlit Combos Laura's books Laura's poems my writing process National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku) National Poetry Month 2016 nifty news nonfiction books personal photopoetry poems poemsketch Poetry 7 poetryactions poetry books Poetry Friday Poetry Princesses poetry prompts poetry sisters Putrid rhyming nonfiction rhyming poems Riddle-ku school visits snowman-cold student poems teen/adult poems the business side videos Water Can Be...

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Laura’s Press Kit Components

Who Am I?
Short Bios
Awards & Honors
Author Photos
Book Covers
Book Reviews
In the Press
How I Became a Writer

Laura’s Author Visit Info

VISITS TO SCHOOLS
A Video Intro to Laura’s Author Visits
Virtual Visits with Laura
Small Writes: Write-Along Videos
Printable Flyer (print page 1 only)
Author Visit Programs
Typical Schedules
Author Visit Materials
Multi-Day Visits
Fees
Ordering Books for Events
Where Laura’s Been
Laura’s Report Card from Educators

OTHER PRESENTATIONS

For Libraries & Book Festivals
For Educators
For Writers

Post Categories

Copyright © 2009–2023 · Laura Purdie Salas · WordPress · Log in