Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry

This was one of the most interesting books I've read thus far. The poetry is embedded into the illustration, which I haven't seen in a children's book yet. It makes the illustrations more engaging and it describes in poetry what the images are. For example, the clouds are made up of words that describe the state of the cloud at that time. I think this book would be great for 3rd or 4th graders who are learning about poetry and who are observant enough to read every bit of text on the page (because there's a lot!).

I love the big and bright pictures in this book! This book of concrete poetry is fun for young children. I enjoyed how the words are shaped to fit into the pictures. For example, some of the words are shaped like clouds and trees.

This book is about a dog and cat who are about to get in a big fight and chase each other through a park. Then a big thunderstorm comes and they both have to take shelter under the same tree. They fall asleep and wake up feeling no more animosity towards each other. This is a great book to teach about friendship and making friends with those who you least expect. I always remember being taught to smile, sit, or talk to the new person or someone who seems left out and this book is a great example of how to overcome that.

(poetry, easy) Dog has escaped from home and is set out for fun adventure outdoors. Cat has been dumped from a car. Dog and cat come across each other in a park just as a big storm is to be let loose. Will dog and cat be enemies or will they find unexpected shelter in each other's arms? I loved this book. It is a wonderful example of concrete poetry to show children. It was my first viewing of the book and I was surprised how Sidman was able to creep words/poetic verse into every little nook and cranny! Each page had a small surprise on it. The ants, the beetles, the birds, twigs, leaves and even the clouds had something to say. Not to mention the sidewalk, the grass and the picnic table! What fun! I enjoyed how Sidman changed the words show more on the clouds, the tree stump, the tree leaves, the picnic tables etc...as the storm started and increased. Children will love this book. An interactive way to share this book with children who can read is to have them come up and take turns reading the different "parts'. An obvious class activity would be to create their own concrete poetry. Joyce Sidman is fast becoming one of my favorite children's poets. show less

This is a very cute idea! I especially love the clouds and grass descriptions written in as poems through each pages's illustrations.

This poetry book interested me in some ways, but confused me in other ways. The plot of the story was short and sweet: about a dog chasing a cat and ending up friends. The characters were also very adorable; the bees buzzed and the ladybugs chirped which gave each character a personality. But, the illustrations were hard to follow. The objects, like the grass, trees, and benches, were made up of words that described what they are. The words didn't seem like sentences, they were just words about the object, like the bench was a place to sit on. These illustrations were interesting if someone had time to read about each object, but it made the plot confusing. There were too many words on the pages and they mixed together in my head. show more Overall, the message of friendship and not judging a dog by the way he barks or runs (like judging a book by it's cover) was sentimental and "cute". show less

This is a book about an unlikely friendship between a cat and a dog. It is told through the use of concrete poetry, where the words make up the illustrations.

This is good for kindergarten through 2nd grades.

I would use this book to help teach children about concrete poetry as well as introduce descriptive writing.