Jorge Lujan, illustrated by Isol, translation by Elisa Amando,
Doggy Slippers
Groundwood Books/ House of Anansi Press, 2009.

Rating: E*

Doggy Slippers is a anthology of poems written about beloved family pets. These humorous and endearing poems were written by Jorge Luján in collaboration with nearly one hundred children in Latin America. The children’s anecdotes describing their family pet’s appearance, habits, bark, smell or even the child’s longing for a pet inspired each poem. Luján then shaped the children’s thoughts and words into a collection of free verse poems that were later translated from the original Spanish.

This anthology offers delightful insight into the bond between a child and his/her pet. The pets described include a monkey, a bunny, a turtle, a cat, a hamster and even a marmot; and amidst them are various dogs.

Luján’s collection demonstrates a unique poetry style which instructors may find helpful while teaching poetry. Isol’s illustrations are childlike and appealing.

Ana Malespin
Vol. 16, number 3
February 2011

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.