Olwen Way

The Best Anthology of Canine Poetry By Far!

I've read almost a dozen volumes of dog poetry, and "The Poetry of Dogs" is the best I've seen by far. Most collections are very brief, meant more as cute gift books as opposed to serious anthologies. "The Poetry of Dogs", however, features 201 pieces - far outnumbering most other compilations. Way has done an excellent job of selecting beautifully vivid poems and assembling them together in a meaningful sequence. A multitude of themes, sentiments, styles and poets are represented. The poems range from whimsical to somber in tone; topics covered include everything from the little joys of living with a dog (the long walks, the excessive barking, being followed by an everlasting shadow...), to the inevitable, heartbreaking day when one must say goodbye. Indeed, poems of mourning comprise roughly half of the 201 pieces in "The Poetry of Dogs" - so don't expect to get through the book with dry eyes. Way even managed to locate a few poems with a strong animal welfare message - something I was especially pleased to see, as an animal rights advocate! The illustrations by Raynor consist of black and white drawings that are rather lifelike - lending an added sense of sincerity to the poetry. Just as a number of breeds are celebrated in words, so are they too in the artwork.

If you're looking for a collection of dog poetry, look no further - "The Poetry of Dogs" is a must-have. Though it might be slightly more expensive than other collections, it's a great value, with more than ten times as many poems than most of the others offer. In fact, I found that "The Poetry of Dogs" contained a majority of the poems found in the shorter gift books, and also offered a number lesser-known works. Having been owned by dogs my entire life, it's a book I'll treasure for years to come.

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