creativiteach

I live in a houseful of cats, so when I spotted a small book with a cat on the cover and the title, I Could Pee on This I was more intrigued than appalled. Then I picked it up and started laughing out loud mid-bookstore. The book is all-too-real to cat owners, but also a source of creative inspiration for anyone. Want a sample? Just click to enlarge.

For more examples, see author Francesco Marciuliano’s website. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for links to two more pages of excerpts.

There are options for dog lovers, too. Here’s one from I Could Chew On This.

I love these poems for the smiles, but also for the chance they give us to look through the eyes of the animals around us. Think about the chance to share some of these poems with your students or children and challenge them to write a poem explaining another animal’s thoughts. What might that pet guinea pig be thinking? What would explain your cat’s preference for sleeping on your just-folded shirts? Writing animal point-of-view poetry is fun, and a great exercise in flexible thinking. If you write some, please share!

And if you aren’t totally opposed to cat videos, here’s more from I Could Pee on That. (Wouldn’t it be fun to make a video of your pet, narrated with your poetry?)