CM Magazine: Doggerel.

________________ CM . . . . Volume IV Number 20 . . . . June 5, 1998

cover Doggerel.
Sheila Dalton. Illustrated by Kim LaFave.
Toronto, ON: Doubleday Canada, 1996. 30 pp, paper, $6.95.
ISBN 0-385-25623-X.

Subject Headings:
Dogs-Juvenile poetry.
Children's poetry, Canadian (English).

Kindergarten - grade 2 / Ages 5 - 7.
Review by John Philbin.
**1/2 /4

excerpt:

A Basset's an asset
if you like your dogs droopy
But it's not cool,
if they drool,
'cause they get you all goopy

Sheila Dalton has published several children's books, including Bubblemania and Orangutans. Illustrator Kim LaFave won the Governor General's Award for Amos's Sweater in 1988, and his work also appears in such titles as The Mare's Egg, I am Small, and Duck Cakes for Sale. Doggerel is a form of comic verse, characterized by a loose structure and rhyme pattern that makes unlikely choices for humorous effect. Doggerel lives up to its name. A free-wheeling, comic look at a string of dog types, it manages to have some fun with language, as demonstrated by the excerpt above.

Unfortunately, the sameness of the storyline wears thin after only a few pages. Perhaps the antic nature of the doggerel form is part of the problem here - it's hard to be memorable when stretching for rhymes like "fleas" and "sprees." Some of the vocabulary also seems a bit sophisticated for the target audience. A few words, such as "shamus," "shirking," and "vagrant," would be difficult for teenagers, let alone primary grade students.

LaFave's illustrations lend a lot of personality to these pages. They are full of constant motion and comic detail. Children will enjoy looking at the pictures, even if they don't understand the comic nature of the rhymes. Though Doggerel is a worthy effort, it does fall short.

Recommended with reservations.

John Philbin is a father and writer who lives in Winnipeg.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - JUNE 5, 1998.