Push-Pull Morning: Dog-Powered Poems about Matter and Energy

Playfulness and pedagogy intertwined. 

Gr 3-4--Picture book poetry, stated by a dog-loving young boy, introduces principles of physics in an inventive blend likely to intrigue some adults and probably puzzle some children. Deft blank verse and energetic, comic line drawings follow the daily doings and fun moments of the dark-skinned narrator, his homely white and gray-spotted dog, and pale-skinned Aunty Rosa, with whom they apparently live. The dozen or so physics ideas embedded in 19 poems include inertia, gravity, relative motion, paradox, and more. "My stinky dog/ remembers friction/ when I tell her it's time for a bath./ 'Let's go, ' I say, but/ she digs her claws into the carpet./ My stinky dog knows that/ Carpet + Claws = Friction." The pertinent science term is stated below each poem and all the terms are defined briefly with short paragraphs of explanation in the book's concluding "Dog Powered Notes." Quick references in this back matter to the work of Sir Isaac Newton and many scientific ideas seem geared to adults and may be useful teaching prompts. VERDICT The dual thrust should interest fans of Peters's many other books and may invite or challenge pet lovers, as well as readers and teachers of poetry or science.--Margaret Bush

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"A dog and a child joyously demonstrate gravity, friction, inertia, and other physical phenomena...With an eye to her STEM-centric theme, Peters outfits her free-verse romps with titular references to physics and parenthetical identifications of relevant topics or principles...Playfulness and pedagogy intertwined." —Kirkus Reviews

"Picture book poetry, stated by a dog-loving young boy, introduces principles of physics in an inventive blend likely to intrigue... (with) deft blank verse and energetic, comic line drawings... the dual thrust should interest fans of Peters's many other books and may invite or challenge pet lovers, as well as readers and teachers of poetry or science."—School Library Journal

"Peters' energetic and educational book follows a child and their dog as together they explore unconditional love and the world of science. Each scientific topic, focused on matter and energy, is expressed through a delightful first-person free-verse poem and a lively, vivid illustration from Bloch that demonstrates movement and fluctuation of energy....Peters and Bloch take on important educational concepts and, in classic scientific fashion, transform them into something wholly original and interesting." —Booklist