Children's Book Review: *Twosomes* by Marilyn Singer

• Twosomes:  Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom written by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Lee Wildish
• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (December 28, 2010)
• ISBN-13: 978-0375867101

Back-of-the-book blurb: Do animals celebrate Valentine’s Day? Nobody knows for sure. But this funny (and punny) little book imagines how some of them declare their love, affection, or friendship any day of the year.”Nice to Meetcha! You smell delish!/Wanna share my water dish?” So asks one tail-thumping dog to another.  Ranging from dogs and cats and other pets to some you wouldn’t want to pet, such as sharks and porcupines, acclaimed poet Marilyn Singer’s captivating couplets and Lee Wildish’s expressively humorous illustrations provide a Valentine’s Day gift for kids who wouldn’t be caught dead being lovey-dovey.

She Is Too Fond of Books’ review What a sweet little book of love poems!  It is little – about 5 x 7 inches, with 15 couplets pulling puns with animals; the perfect (purrfect?) size to tuck alongside a small box of chocolates for your Valentine, young or old.  The price is right, too; under $8, and it will last longer than that box of chocolates (or a couple packs of those trendy Silly Bands!).

Let me address that “young or old….”.  The publisher’s suggested age range for this book is 8-12, but it really goes beyond that.  Poetry read aloud paves theway for pre-reading, and these are short enough to be memorized.  At the other end of the spectrum, those older than 12 (and adults!) will enjoy the fun and timely message/reminders, especially if they are “animal people.”  It’s so hard with children’s books, to define an appropriate and suitable age range; this really does go beyond the suggested range, especially, I would say, at the younger end.

The author has published more than 80 books of poetry for children and adults.  You can read more about her (and check out the adorable pics of her and her dog!) on Marilyn Singer’s website. The illustrator is involved with freelance art in greeting cards and books, among other pursuits.  When I perused Lee Wildish’s website, I recognized some of the characters from Usborne Books.  You can get a good sense of the cute illustrations in Twosomes from the book cover (above), and the endpapers and title page, which I’ve reproduced to the right.