"Does your Chihuahua do the cha-cha dancing the whole night away?"
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Hot Diggity Doggerels by Monti L. Belyeu Trafford Publishing
book review by J. A. Garcia
Belyeu invites readers to enjoy a playful selection of dog-inspired rhymes accompanied by amusing illustrations in a book fit for dog lovers both young and old. Beginning with the title's clever play on words, the reader quickly learns that doggerels are in fact "a loose, irregular kind of poetry." With this in mind, the book unfolds with various dog-breed inspired poems that often make use of rhyme and catchy alliteration.
As can be seen with the opening poem, "Do you feed your Beagle Bagels?," each poem draws the reader in with fun and unexpected scenarios. Furthermore, each poem also engages readers directly by way of the question format used in a majority of these poems. Following the humorous beagle enjoying a bagel, the following poem asks, "Does your pug drink from a mug?" This funny "doggerel" is paired with a comedic illustration of a pug sitting at a table by a steaming mug of what one may assume is coffee or hot tea.
Young readers will enjoy taking the time to consider each surprising bit of very un-doglike behavior just as they'll appreciate the colorful illustrations of dog antics featured on every page. The playful, rhythmic poems that beg for reader participation also make this a book particularly well-suited for reading aloud. Children will be inspired to answer each question as they share a good laugh at pictures of cocker spaniels reading manuals and schnauzers using web browsers in this imaginative picture book.