Dog lovers will have a blast with this large, personable book of 22 meaty dog-narrated poems, all accompanied by soulful paintings of the notable pooches. Every aspect of dogdom is covered here; titles include: "In My Doghouse," "Pet Me," "Lapdog," "Chowhound," "Chasing My Tail," and my personal favorite, the final selection, the lullaby-like "Dog-Tired." The title poem begins:

I'm a dachshund, long and lean.
I'm a low-slung, pink-tongued drool machine!
I'm a funny-lookin' fella but I ain't no fool . . . DOGS RULE!

I'm a Great Dane, ten feet tall,
more solid than a concrete wall.
If you want to pet me, climb a stool! DOGS RULE!

Included with the book is wonderfully hummable CD of the poems, which author/illustrator Daniel Kirk set to toe-tapping music and then recorded, singing vocals and playing guitar, accompanied by several musician friends. What a multitalented guy. When I showed this to several classes of fifth graders, they went bonkers, howling that they wanted that book! So, while you can certainly use the book and CD with younger children, older readers and music lovers will also enjoy it, following the words in the book as they sing along. (I call this Singers Theater-as opposed to Reader's Theater, where children read and act out a script based on a book they've read. Since you cannot sing a song one word at a time, reading a song's lyrics while you sing it is an ideal way to become a more fluent reader.)

The author's website, www.DanielKirk.com, is a treat, with all sorts of pictures you can download, activities to go with his books, and songs you can play or even download, including all of the tracks from Dogs Rule. What, you like cats better? Then fetch his companion book, Cat Power!. You and your kids can pen new poems or songs and draw or paint large portraits of your own beloved pets.

THEMES: DOGS-POETRY. POETRY-SINGLE AUTHOR. SONGS.