Poetry- A CURIOUS COLLECTION OF CATS by Betsy Franco

Bibliographic Data

A Curious Collection of Cats

By Betsy Franco

Illustrated by Michael Wertz

Tricycle Press ©2009

ISBN: 9781582462486

Brief Plot Summary

Michael Wertz colorfully enhances Betsy Franco’s poetry depicting what it is to be a cat using bright shapes and typography. These 34, single-paged poems spotlight the good and the bad aspects of cats with playfulness and whimsicality.

Critical Analysis 

A Curious Collection of Cats is an individual compilation of Betsy Franco’s poetry. Michael Wertz illustrates them into concrete poetry. Concrete poetry translates the words of poems into typography that shape into a picture. This is not a strict example of concrete poetry, but it does feature inconsistent lettering in shapes that are often combined with other shapes to create images. Wertz illustrations enhances Franco’s poems just as they should.

(Not strict concrete poetry because the words alone do not form shapes)

Franco’s poetry compilation is a mix of free verse and rhyming poetry. It is mostly imagery poetry, depicting scenes of cat-dom. The point of view is third person, often referring to cats by adorable names like Rascal, Darla, and Gonzo. The reader experiences a range of senses. They can hear the howls and yowls of a catfight in Lenny Vs. Patch. They can see movement in words like clawing. The can imagine the clumps of fur on the ground. The verb choices of this poem exhibit strong meaning and make for a great vocabulary lesson- screeches, pouncing, scuffling. This poem also follows a rhythmic format bouncing from four to three syllables. The second and fourth lines rhyme “fighting felines!| screeches howls!| pouncing biting!| high pitched yowls!”

(The Purrfect Scarf)

The poem The Purrfect Scarf uses metaphor to refer to the “Burmese scarf.” In a simile Franco explains how the “scarf” is as “warm as wool.” On the edge of the page we see the calming onomatopoeia, “purr purr purr purr purr purr.”

The title of this collection shows alliteration, a hard c noise repeating. One poem, Prickles Vs. the Golden Retriever also has repeating sounds, but they occur internally, “Pickle’s fur is sticking out his back.”

(We can hear and see how prickly Prickles is)

The organization is this book is minimal. Readers will not find a table of contents and page numbers. The poems also seem to be in no particular order. We simply wonder an emotional range, from peace, to warmth, to high pitches, and violence.

Review Excerpt(s) 

“Sly humor and a deep appreciation of feline quirks add to the fun as do Michael Wertz's bright, stylized illustrations.” - Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature)

“Cat lovers will recognize the standoffs with arching backs, the cozy touch of the "purrfect" scarf on their shoulders, and the tech-savvy cat who walks across the keyboard to add her own note to an e-mail to a friend.” - Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Mar. 15, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 14))

Connections

After reading selections from A Curious Collection of Cats, follow by reading A Dazzling Display of Dogs (also by Franco and Wertz).

After reading selections from the book explore writing poetry using techniques found in the book such as rhyming, alliteration, metaphor, etc. Turn the poems into art by mimicking the concrete poetry from the book.

After reading selections explore vocabulary through concrete poetry. Have the children draw words into shapes based on the word’s meaning. Enhance vocabulary by using words like fluid, frantic, and sizzle.

(Polydactyl- a fine vocabulary word)