Do You Have a Dog?
by Eileen Spinelli illustrated by Geraldo Valerio Eerdmans, 2011, $16

Award-winning author Eileen Spinelli and illustrator extraordinaire Geraldo Valerio pair up again in this companion book to Do You Have a Cat? This time, the poetic history lessons are pup-centric. Each six-line poem features a notable person—Admiral Richard Byrd, jazz singer Billie Holiday and mystery novelist Agatha Christie—and his/her dog—respectively, fuzzy Iggy, the boxer Mister and terrier Peter, the inspiration for one of Christie’s fictional sleuths. Valerio’s action-packed acrylics romp across double-page spreads, an homage to pooch pals Annie Oakley, Jackson Pollock and Franklin D. Roosevelt.  This is poetry and history to howl for, especially for young animal lovers.

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