Bark: Selected Poems About Dogs

by Ferris Cook (Editor)

Black and white charcoal illustrations highlight a collection of canine verse by Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Ogden Nash, Dorothy Parker, John Updike, and other notable poets.

Genres: Poetry

63 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2000

About the author

Ferris Cook is an artist and book illustrator based in upstate New York, known for her work on numerous collections of poetry and essays since 1990. She has illustrated and edited various well-regarded works, including Odes to Common Things and Odes to Opposites by Pablo Neruda, The Sonnets of Shakespeare, A Murmur in the Trees by Emily Dickinson, The Rose Window by Rainer Maria Rilke, and several thematic poetry collections such as Bark (about dogs) and Yowl (about cats). Additionally, she has contributed to Garden Dreams and Remembered Gardens, collections of essays on gardening, and Gifts of Love, a compilation of love poems. Ferris Cook also wrote and illustrated The Garden Trellis. Her latest project is an illustrated Arabic edition of Neruda's 100 Love Sonnets. Her work is known for its blend of artistic sensitivity and literary exploration.

Reviews

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable selections - some will make you laugh, some will pull at your heart strings. Great illustrations, too!

[David Bravi-Thome · Rating 4 out of 5]

For dog lovers, this is a simple and lovely book to have around on a nightstand or easy chair table.

The reason I continue to keep this little thing around is just for the poem by John Updike. I don’t know I’ll ever get it out of my memory.

[mad mags · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixed - but delightful - bag of poems about dogs

"Bark" is a small collection of poems about dogs (there are 26 pieces, to be exact). While some of the poems are of the cute and cuddly variety that you'd find in gift books, others are more serious, tackling issues such as death, loss and grieving. All are beautiful, except for a few that are a bit disturbing; for instance, in "Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House", Billy Collins entertains thoughts of shooting his neighbor's noisy dog. Such vignettes are the exception, though, and the only reason I gave "Bark" 4 stars instead of 5. There are also very vivid and lifelike sketches throughout the book, adding to the poetry's allure.

My favorite poem? "Dachshund", by William Jay Smith - since my first dog was (and still is) a Doxie (and the sketch looks uncannily like him, wrinkles and all!):

The Dachshund leads a quiet life
Not far above the ground;
He takes an elongated wife,
They travel all around.

http://www.amazon.com/review/RPHHDNI1...

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bark is a beautiful collection of poems about dogs & is beautifully illustrated.