Thirteen poets are represented in Hopkins’s seventh collection of short poems accessible to newly independent readers and also to young listeners. There’s a poem about an ant farm, and one about a tarantula, an iguana is featured in another, and a pet snake can also be found within this ‑20-poem anthology. Manning’s inviting artwork reproduced in full color adds to the lively volume. (Ages 6–8)

From a devoted mutt giving "sloppy doggy kisses" to a tarantula munching happily on a cricket lunch, this lively collection of twenty poems celebrates the relationship between children and their pets. Popular poet and noted anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins brings together many of today's best children's poets -- including X. J. Kennedy, Alice Schertle, and Karla Kuskin -- in this delightful festival of friendship. Jane Manning's bright and richly textured art cheerfully complements these playful poems.