Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems

Singer, Marilyn. 2012. Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems. Ill. by Miki Sakamoto. New York: Dial Books for Children.  ISBN 978-0803737150

 (Photo obtained from www.us.penguingroup.com)

   Plot Summary

Every Day’s a Dog’s Day is a collection of poems covering a year’s time but written in a Buddy’s (an adorable dog) perspective.  Poems included cover major holidays (New Year’s Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc), touch on seasonal happenings (first day of spring, first day of school, dog shows and parades) but even more importantly, cover days characteristic to dogs only (“flea day”, “visit the vet day”, “leaf-kicking day”, etc). 

Analysis

Every Day’s a Dog’s Day serves as a clever introduction to poetry for children.  Singer employs a large variety of poetic mechanism and poetic devices within this children’s picture book such as rhyming, imagery, assonance and enjambment.  Most of her poems employ the well-known A,B,A,B,C scheme but Singer is in no way partial to this scheme and strays often. 

The voice of the poetry is clear which also is helpful for younger readers who may struggle with more difficult poetry.  Singer manages to ensure that the overall tone of the poetry matches the playful subject matter (“One year I got into the pantry/ and ate everything I found./ So thanks for another Thanksgiving/ and for not sending me to the pound.”) while encouraging children to read aloud aided by steady rhythm that poetry promotes. 

The storyline is skillfully stitched together so that the poems stand alone or act as a cumulative, chronological journey through the year providing practicality for younger readers who do not consume the book in one sitting.  The illustrations by Miki Sakamoto are fun, comical and cheerful which enhance the imagery provided by the words alone.  Every Day’s a Dog’s Day: A Year in Poems would be a great addition to personal and public collections alike. 

Review Excerpts

BOOKLIST --- “The playful rhymes are very simple and filled with physical action, and the rhythm in the words will have young preschoolers joining in (“I must dig a hole / to look for a mole / to bury a bone / to be all alone”). Sakamoto’s unframed illustrations extend the humor and feeling in the scenarios, especially the cuddles and standoffs between pets and their owners.”

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