Bark in the Park!-review from Booklist

Bark in the Park!: Poems for Dog Lovers.

By Avery Corman. Illus. by Hyewon Yum
Mar. 2019. 48p. Scholastic, $17.99 (9781338118391). K–Gr. 3. 811 

Short, spritely poems accompany the 38 varieties of dog showcased in this witty and fact-filled book. The poems range from simple rhyming couplets to freestyle verse, and some use internal rhymes to show off the dog’s primary characteristics (like “The Poodle is quick to learn a trick. / You could say the poodle can use her noodle”). A loose narrative thread connects the poems, which follow a little girl and her father on a walk through the neighborhood. They first see an Afghan hound, with its appropriately thin, long-haired owner. Then they encounter a slew of other dogs, including a dachshund “who looks like she’s a hot dog” in front of a hot dog stand, and a Great Dane stretching over two pages to sniff at a Chihuahua. The illustrations, which use heavy ink outlines with watercolors and washes of color, are engaging and filled with comic details. Corman incorporates appropriate warnings about interacting with certain breeds and brings everything to a heartwarming conclusion: “Being friends with a dog is a dream come true.” 

— Connie Fletcher