A Curious Collection of Cats

A Curious Collection of Cats: Concrete Poems is a 2009 Children's poetry collection by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Michael Wertz. It is made up of concrete poems in various forms, including haiku, limerick, and free verse, that highlight various aspects of cat behaviour.

A Curious Collection of Cats
AuthorBetsy Franco
IllustratorMichael Wertz
Cover artistWertz
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's poetry collection
Published2009 (Tricycle Press)
Publication placeUSA
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages40 (unpaginated)
ISBN9781582462486
OCLC881249283


Contents

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Balancing act
Shadow's dream
Tabitha's tail
A question for Scooter about squirrels
The great escape
A tomcat's yard is his kingdom
Veronica goes wide
Princess
Q-tip and Rosie
Gonzo's snack
Lenny vs. Patch
Cat haiku 1
Cat haiku 2
A tree for Sammantha
Rascal's tongue
Her royal highness
Yoga cat pose
That cat peed on my hat
Fluff is polydactyl
Bingo's birthday party
The purrfect scarf
Hot daze
Symmetricats
Ear decorations
Prickles vs. the golden retriever
Kissy kat
Swettie's groceries
Techno cat
Limerick on a leash
Cat under the blanket
Binky's kittens
Cat door

Reception

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A review in Kirkus Reviews of A Curious Collection of Cats wrote "Capturing the spirit of each verse, Wertz turns a collection of otherwise unremarkable visual poems into a true treat for the eyes."[1] and The Horn Book Magazine wrote "Together, poet and artist convey the silliness of cats and their humans without ever being silly themselves".[2]

A Curious Collection of Cats has also been reviewed by Booklist,[3] School Library Journal,[4] and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books,[5]

It is a 2012 Beehive Poetry Award nominee.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "A Curious Collection of Cats". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. March 15, 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  2. ^ "A Curious Collection of Cats". Horn Book Guides. Media Source Inc. 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  3. ^ "A Curious Collection of Cats". Booklist. American Library Association. 2009. Retrieved March 23, 2022. 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.
  4. ^ Teresa Pfeifer. "A Curious Collection of Cats". School Library Journal. Media Source Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2022. The poems are so embedded within the illustrations that it is hard to imagine them without the artwork; they are virtually inseparable.
  5. ^ Deborah Stevenson (July 2009). "Franco, Betsy. A Curious Collection of Cats". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 62 (11). Johns Hopkins University Press: 442. doi:10.1353/bcc.0.1049. S2CID 145809237. Retrieved March 23, 2022. We've had a fair amount of dog poetry in the last few years, so it's only fair that cats get their turn too.
  6. ^ "Children's Poetry Nominees (2002-2019)" (PDF). claubeehive.org. The Children's Literature Association of Utah. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
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