Doggolescence: Poems by Kyra The Staffy

by Kyra The Staffy, Kyra The Staffy

A collection of poems parodying the Gabbie Hanna collection 'Adultolescence', written from the perspective of Kyra - a little dog with a big heart! Youtuber, Rachel Oates, and her dog worked together to create this collection of poems and photographs which will resonate with every dog lover, but will also provide plenty of giggles for 'fans' of Gabbie's 'poetry'.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Humor, Comedy

64 pages, Paperback

Published February 9, 2020

Reviews

[Elysa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been watching Rachel Oates' Youtube videos for about a year now. I've heard her described as the "Miss Honey" (think Matilda) of Youtube and think it's pretty accurate. I saw her poetry videos and became instantly drawn in by her genuine love of poetry. I've never met anyone who genuinely liked poetry, but she was able to spark a love of good poetry (and an intolerance of bad poetry) I didn't realize I had. Her interests and topics are wide, including religion/atheism, science, relationships, and vlogs. Often with her staffy, Kyra, involved. They're really such a sweet pair.



And that's what the poetry book is about. It's written as a satire to the trend of popular Youtubers and celebrities releasing and making copious amounts of money off of bad, low-effort poetry while talented poets don't get near enough credit. But it's adorable.
This is my favorite poem:

SAD
is bad
No, but like, really. It's bad.
No be sad human.
I'm here.
Look at my face.
I'll cheer you up.

While Kyra didn't literally write it, obviously, if you observe how she behaves around Rachel, you know that's precisely what she is thinking.

Also, there are pictures of Rachel and Kyra snuggling up, and goofy pictures of Kyra at play. If you are a dog lover and/or a poetry lover, and you need a quick dose of pure happiness, you can get it for like $2 or through Kindle Unlimited.

[Tib · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun parody of Gabbie's poems in "Adultolescence" but from the perspective of a doggo. Honestly? They were better than the original content. Kyra The Staffy definitely writes better than Gabbie and I wish she would do another parody for "Dandelion."

[Courtney Doss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did I really just spend half an hour reading poetry written by a dog? Yes, I did.

Okay, so this book requires a little explaining. Apparently, this book was written by a Youtuber (Rachel Oates) whose most popular video was a critique of Adultolescence, a poetry collection by another Youtuber Gabbie Hanna. The poems were apparently very juvenile and not very good, which led to a whole barrage of people criticizing the book on Youtube videos, and since Rachel Oates started the trend, she decided to continue the joke by writing a straight up parody of the poetry collection from the perspective of her dog. However, she took it one step further by apparently creating these poems in a mad-libs style using the words her dog chose. I don't know how this happened, because I didn't watch the video, but when I heard that this was a thing, I was pretty sure I had to read it.

I have four dogs, all of which I love a whole lot, so I enjoyed the little jokes that came with this. It was a funny, silly little poetry collection that wasn't meant to be taken seriously. This isn't trying to win any awards, and there's nothing wrong with someone enjoying jokes about dogs and balls and poop. But, that's what most of this was. Lots of jokes about poop and balls. Over and over and over again. So, it got a little repetitive even being a short collection.

I did laugh a few times at this book. And one particular poem did make me a little bit emotional because it dealt with the death of a pet, but for the most part these were light, cute little poems that I will probably never think about again.

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is just a lovely little collection of poems written from the perspective of a wonderful dog called Kyra. What's not to love?

[Garrison Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

All Rachel Oates wanted to do was have some fun at the expense of Gabbie Hanna and her “poetry”. Nothing too serious, just a few parodies from the point of view of Rachel’s lovable doggy Kyra. Because Kyra has childlike innocence, the parody poems are simple by nature, but are much more entertaining than the source material. There are lots of funny ones like “Honey”, “Texts”, and “Mirror”, but also some serious ones like “Nights”. Judging from the effective punch lines at the end of the funnier poems, if Rachel Oates wanted to be a standup comic somewhere down the line, she very well could since she possesses a perfect understanding of joke structures. But a poem like “Nights” will hit you like a heavyweight punch to the gut. Dogs who live at shelters are notoriously lonely since they have nobody to snuggle with and all of the blankets and toys on the concrete floor doesn’t change the fact that the floor is indeed made out of concrete. I know the phrase, “Adopt, don’t shop!” gets used quite liberally, but to be frank, it doesn’t get said enough. Rachel understands this and not only did she get an awesome book out of it, but she has something worth so much more: a loving doggy to call her own. Belly rubs, ear scratches, jowl wiggles, and most importantly, steak treats! All the good things in life come from Rachel’s home. Which is why it’s hard for me to point out one teeny tiny little flaw in this collection: too much bathroom humor for my tastes. But that’s just my opinion and Rachel doesn’t have to adjust her writing style for one reader. All in all, a nice little poetry book even if she openly admits to putting as little effort into it as Gabbie Hanna put into her own book. Four out of five stars! And by the way, the pictures of Kyra are so darn cute!

[Kirryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who calls this mean-spirited hasn't read the book. This is a tongue-in-cheek gentle ribbing in the cutest possible manner. Only a very insecure writer wouldn't see this for what it is...oh...wait.

Seriously, Kyra's poems are adorable! If I ever end up published, I would be so charmed with this kind of parody. They say you know you've made it when you've reached parody level -- I'll know I've achieved my pinnacle as a poet when Kyra the Staffy turns my art into adorable goofiness!

The only criticism I can level is probably at Kyra's mum; perhaps it wasn't so wise releasing this given its author's hair-trigger all-criticism-is-bad gun. (Not its subject. No art is above parody, whether it's [reputedly] about heavy themes or daffodils. If your supposedly heavy themes can be parodied easily, then maybe they didn't have quite the impact you assume they did?) Then again, on the other hand, I honestly do think Rachel might have erred on the side of assuming the 'poet' she and her adorable Pickle were parodying was a normal human being who would've giggled this off, if not embraced it totally. After all, this WAS compiled before Hanna's recent dramasplosions (...plural. Good lord...).

[Lotte Van Der Paelt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started as a joke after a review of Gabbie Hanna's incredibly bad poetry book 'Adultolescence' (very confusing title btw). Ironically enough, this parody was unsarcasticly better than the original one. The funny poems mixed with some cute pictures are definitely a good combination for a great poetry book!

Also funny that many of these poems written by a dog made me think of my cats

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wholesome dog poetry

This really exceeded my expectations for a parody poetry book. It's funny, sweet, and heartfelt. I may have a bias as a dog lover but if you are looking for a laid back poetry book that doesn't take itself too seriously, I would highly recommend this!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The closest I can come to describe this book is... imagine what would happen if Winnie-the-pooh tried to write poetry... but insted of being a bear he's a dog...

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m all for the Gabbie Hanna slander lol her poetry is so bad and this is a hilarious clap back.

Well done.

[BooksWGreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable book, I've been wanting to read this collection for a while as a fan of Rachel Oates. Going in knowing that it is a parody book and seeing Rachel's reviews of said books helps know that this is meant to be a light read. I can recognize the inspiration easily and find that valuable.

While some of the topics are very repetitive, it speaks of the poetry Rachel is parodying. Without knowing this, I can see why it bothers some, but I personally find it smart of Rachel to follow these methods. As a result, this was a very quick read, and there are many poems I might never read again, but a few that struck a strong chord with me. "Nights" "Humans" "Gone" and even "Pretending To Be Bo Burnham" are ones that made me stop for a bit.

These poems are simplistic, but knowing that they aren't masquerading as sophisticated poetry and are meant to be silly parody poems is part of what has me rating this as a 4. The photos of Kyra are a wonderful bonus as well!

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyra and her human Rachel are fun poets in this parody of another YouTuber’s book of poems. I loved the pictures of Kyra and her ball. I love Kyra’s love of Rachel. And I love all the (silly) poop jokes.

My only critique would be that some of the poems might have benefited from Oxford commas, but I know that’s a preference.

[Μαρία Ν. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the kind of parody I enjoy the most.

This poetry book was cute,sweet,innocent and playful.

This was a very nice take on Gabbie Hana's "Adultolescence" and her style.

In case you are wondering the subject matter of the poems is took from Kyra's everyday life,things she has done and her relationship with her mum,Rachel.

The decision to include photos of Kyra too along side with the poems made reading all more fun.The poems on their own are wonderful.For a parody the poems were original and very good(nice grammar,excellent vocabulary).Also the way they were created made them more precious to my eyes.Kyra is such a great poetess as well as a cutie! <3

My personal favorites were Gone,Soulmate and Nights.

Even though the book is so short,it is highly recommended if you are a dog lover,fan of Kyra & Rachel Oates and you want something to cheer you up.

[CATastrophe · Rating 4 out of 5]

4stars
69% rating


It's a cute parady from the perspective of Kyra.

And omg the photos were adorable.


I wanted to read this because it seemed cute, fast and the money goes towards an animal shelter.






But also, with the past ‘drama’ around this parody, I wanted to see if it was actually insulting Gabbie Hannah’s original work.
And after reading the whole thing... I don't think Gabbie even read the free sample of this book.

It's literally just following the adorable perspective of a dog. It has moments of provoking joy and sadness and nothing is insulting about it. You could even give this to a child as a lighthearted gift. Because it reads like a love/appreciation letter to all dogs.

[Liz Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute and fluffy, and took me about 20 minutes to read. I haven't read the book it was parodied off of, so I think it would add a layer of complexity and appreciation to the collection. I do think Oates (and Kyra!) accomplished what they set out to do with this collection, but I think it would have been interesting to weave a bit more complexity into the poems, especially given Oates' critiques of the original book.
As another reviewer said, this was fast and fun and now I will never think about any of these poems again.

[Ermentrude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rachel takes her criticism of Gabbie Hannah's poetry to the next level in the most wholesome way possible. The innocence and light-heartedness of Kyra's perspective, combined with frequent adorable photos, are sure to put a smile on the face of any dog lover. I appreciated that this wasn't just a takedown of Adultolescence, but added its own cute touch. We could all learn a thing or two from the dogs in our lives.

[Magali Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a quick, wholesome read. It's a parody of Gabbie Hanna's book Adultolescence, from the perspective of a dog. It's a really cute read and I loved the effort that was clearly put into this book to get to the somewhat silly "points" of each poem. I would highly recommend this if you ever need a pick-me-up.

[Dumb Beetch ᵀᴹ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t write better poetry than her...

And sHE’s A DOG!!!!
Nice work, especially enjoyed the satirical take on Gabbie Hanna’s terrible poetry.
This book doesn’t take itself seriously and neither should the reader, cause it’s much more fun to just pretend a dog really wrote this.
Just very nice read. Good job.

[Kailey Wicked · Rating 5 out of 5]

These were cute, witty little poems that I think anyone can enjoy whether you are a dog lover or not. They're fairly simple and easy to ready, would certainly recommend some of these poems for children. All of the photos were wonderful and cute and placed in just the right places to be related to the poetry itself.

[Chrissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this...the style and rhythm of the poems matched the joy in the pictures and felt familiar to me as a person who puts words in my own dogs' mouths. :) Fun and silly and perfect for the dog-books-that-make-me-happy shelf.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe that this parody poetry collection nearly made me cry wtf. I would highly recommend the entire collection because I think it's really fun and has cute dog pics, but I would especially recommend the poem STICKS (ARE GREAT BUT SO ARE YOU) which made me surprisingly super emotional.

[NC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry and all of it's structure and critics of the form. I like Rachel Oates as a creator, but would never have thought to pick up this or her second book. The reason for wanting to read the second book, Reflections on Healing, is due to a review of another poetry book. I picked this one up due to my lack of understanding and to be honest fear of poetry.

It was a nice introduction to not only poetry but also the author's thought process, how they expressed themselves, and also poetry on the whole. I surprised enjoyed it, being that it was poetry. The second book deals with more sensitive topics and I look forward to how they also will make me feel, think, and also look at poetry with new eyes.

[Olga · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing about me is, I don’t get poetry and I don’t like poetry.
But heck, this was three bucks on kindle well-spent.
Those are fun simple poems (which, thankfully, meant I was not confused by them, even though I don’t get poetry) which celebrate the bond between a doggo and its human. And simple or not, I much appreciate writing which accomplishes what it sets out to do.
To let the authour’s own words explain the intentions: “I wanted to try and capture Kyre’s fun, childlike, innocent but loving voice...I wanted her excitement, happiness, love of fun and just general contentment with life”.
And yes. All that achieved.

[Harriet Porter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book of a social media personality that I am reviewing and like the others, it is not good. However this one stands far above the others with its whimsical wit and humour.
Plus I love dogs!
Rachael also has the most mature response to criticism out of the 3 so props to her. I read this in conjunction with adultolescence, to see what side of the feud I'm on. Rachael has a clear understanding of rhyming schemes and knows how to use prose effectively, this makes her stand above the rest, despite the poetry collection's nonsensical premise. Which is impressive for a poetry collection that emerged ftom an inside joke.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

So having known all the lore around what (or rather, who) inspired this book and all the drama that surrounded that, as a fan of Rachel Oates and Kyra I was struck by curiosity and really wanted to read this cute little collection, and that's exactly what it is; a cute little collection. The poems were written all in good fun and are a an enjoyable little read for dog lovers everywhere, even reminding me fondly of the memories I shared with my own dog before his passing earlier this year. It's nothing groundbreaking, sure, but as a humorous parody I honestly quite liked it :)

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a fun and decent parody of Adultolescence. I might have just given it a three, but, I really liked all the cute Kyra pics and I appreciated that it was a pretty quick read, and I really loved Rachel Oates's parody video--it was so articulate and well thought out--and I kind of had to factor all of that in.

[Karalee Shotola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doggolescence is a parody of Gabbie Hanna's Adultolescence poetry written from the perspective of Rachel Oates' dog Kyra. I was not a fan of the original, but I thoroughly enjoyed Doggolescence. The poems were so much better, and I loved that they were told from the perspective of Kyra. Also, the poems were funny and sweet, and the photos of Kyra are so cute.

[Irene MacLennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I had some trouble finding the rhythm in some poems, I love how absolutely wholesome this collection is. And that some poems made me sad. And the pictures are absolutely adorable. Kyra sweet bean!

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well now I just wanna cry cause I miss my fun, funny little doggo. RIP Jack 💙

I know full well the history/context about how this book was written. It was very sweet. If you're a pet parent you can read this just find without all back story and probably cry because of how adorable Kyra is.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good

I don't typically get poetry; prose is my thing. But man, I loved these so much! Of course, I do love stories from the perspective of a pet. I feel like I know Kyra now, such personality, so sweet.