Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry

*Image from old.textproject.org

A. Bibliographic Data: Sidman, Joyce. Meow Ruff: A Story in Concrete Poetry. Illustrated by Michelle Berg. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. ISBN 9780618448944

B. Critical Analysis: Plot Summary: This is the short story of an unlikely friendship between an abandoned cat and an escape-artist dog. After overcoming their fears of a thunderstorm, their coldness from the rain and establishing a common enemy, these two opposites explore the park and meet a happy ending with friendship and a warm home. The illustrations and comical nature of this poem will turn even the most reluctant readers into lovers of concrete poetry!

Appeal: Though young students may not be familiar with concrete poetry initially, the topic and illustrations in this book are definitely enough to draw them in and leave them satisfied with what they find! Everyone loves a classic cat and dog story- especially with so much going on in each illustration (even the sidewalks have their own concrete poems). This story has the ability to capture and keep readers’ attention…easily. Though these poems don’t particularly extend or enrich knowledge, they will introduce this form of poetry and expand their linguistic abilities. Readers’ imaginations will be ready to create their own concrete poems!

Meaning: The meaning of these poems is definitely concrete. The poems are straight forward and rely more so on their unusual placement rather than fancy words, metaphors and abstract meanings. The story is simple and will appeal to the very youngest of readers. Older readers will be able to take away the experience of the poems and look forward to creating their own concrete poems about a topic of their own interest.

Rhythm and Sound: Sidman uses a lot of onomatopoeia in this book. In fact, I would say this is the only sound device she uses in the entire book! Each page does not rhyme, yet a distinct pattern is still established when reading the story aloud. This is again, achieved through the placement of each word and line breaks. Though some of the books are repeated (making them of course have the same meter and pattern) most poems are distinct in their pattern and meter.

Language: As I mentioned before, the language of this book is very light and juvenile. I don’t mean that in a negative way, just that this book would be a great introductory resource to introduce readers to concrete poetry for the first time. With such simple language, readers are given the freedom to explore each poem without worrying about missing the meaning or underlying message. This also allows readers to fully enjoy concrete poetry and create an appreciation for the form before exploring more complex concrete poems.  

Imagery: The readers’ sense of sound is most often engaged throughout this book. This is a reflection of the amount of onomatopoeias used and the many sounds available to use when setting a story in nature. The wind, birds, ants, thunder, lightning and rain are among the different sounds Sidman was able to bring to life. Readers will undoubtedly be able to hear the many sounds, as well as the occasional sight presented in this book.

Emotional Impact: As one would suspect, the overall tone and mood of this book is fairly light-hearted and fun. Aside from the slight sadness the reader may feel (like me) for the cat when its left alone, and when both animals are scared and wet- readers will feel satisfied and content with the happy ending. Readers may be able to relate to finding friends in even the most unexpected places and will enjoy making connections between their own relationships and the one created between this cat and dog.

Layout and Organization: Because this is one story told through different concrete poems, they aren’t arranged according to a particular theme. Instead, the poems achieve fluidity. The illustrations are great in this book! They are bright, bold and allow plenty of space for Sidman to show her poems in the many different shapes and forms. The overall visual design of this book is very pleasing! With concrete poems the formatting, spacing and line breaks are pivotal in achieving a successful story- Sidman does so beautifully.

C. Example: Poem: (In the shape of a tree)

Each

Leaf

A map of

Branches

Each twig

A branch

Of leaves

Each branch

A tree of twigs

Each tree

A green

Haired

Slim

Chested

Great

Hearted gnarl-armed

Strong

Legged

Deep-rooted

One

Introduction: Though these concrete poems are made to be shared together to tell a complete story, I do think this poem could stand alone. In introducing it to students, I would begin by first reading the poem aloud and asking students to draw a picture of what’s described as I read. Of course the students will know the poem is about a tree (though there is no title) but it will be interesting to see their own interpretations of what a tree looks like. Once everyone has shared their drawings, I will show the illustration in the book and re-read the poem aloud. Class discussion will be encouraged as well as a time for students to share their opinions about this particular type of poetry.

Ideas for Sharing: Because there are so many lines to this poem, I think it would be neat for students to share this poem one by one. I envision the students in their own tree formation sharing each line while holding a leaf with their word on it. A little corny, but I think it would have a really nice effect in the end!