Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book. Opinions shared are mine.

What a delightful book! Kids need to be exposed to poetry, and this book raises the standard for children’s poetry books everywhere. Author Marilyn Singer takes the highly engaging topic of pets, adds the historical angle by focusing on presidential pets, and sprinkles in a solid dose of humor.

Each poem in Who Named Their Pony Macaroni? has a fun, bouncy vibe. The charming artwork emphasizes the creative nature of the poetry; I loved the 3-D paper cutout look. I frequently ran my fingers across the page, sure that I’d feel a texture.

Who Named Their Pony Macaroni? just begs to be read out loud! Words like “hollering” put out an emphatic mood, while “menagerie” and “serpenticide” introduce exciting new vocabulary to young readers. You’ll find yourself singing along with LBJ and Yuki, or maybe humming “Sweet Caroline” with the dun-dun-dun at the end. The end of the book has an informational paragraph about each president mentioned.

About the Book:

Title: WHO NAMED THEIR PONY MACARONI?

Author: Marilyn Singer, Ryan McAmis (Illustrations)

Pub. Date: October 1, 2019

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 48

A family of mice. A runaway goat.

A mischievous snake.

A shocking parrot.

A pardoned turkey.

A pampered raccoon.

A ghostbusting dog.

A celebrity cow.

The White House housed more than presidents and First Families–who could forget the furry, scaly, feathered friends who impressed the press, guarded their charges, and kept them company through all the ups and downs of their respective terms?

Marilyn Singer’s compelling poems will delight readers with stories of the creatures who sat beside our country’s leaders, as she draws intriguing connections between the animals and the administrations they accompanied. Mixed-media illustrations by Ryan McAmis lend humor and vivacity, and detailed back matter explores each president’s pet history in more depth.

About Marilyn:

Marilyn Singer was born in the Bronx (New York City) on October 3, 1948 and lived most of her early life in N. Massapequa (Long Island), NY. She attended Queens College, City University of New York, and for her junior year, Reading University, England. She holds a B.A. in English from Queens and an M.A. in Communications from New York University.

In 1974, after teaching English in New York City high schools for several years, she began to write – initially film notes, catalogues, teacher’s guides and film strips. Then, one day, when she was sitting in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, she penned a story featuring talking insect characters she’d made up when she was eight. Encouraged by the responses she got, she wrote more stories and in 1976 her first book, The Dog Who Insisted He Wasn’t, was published by E.P.Dutton & Co.

Since then, Marilyn has published over seventy books for children and young adults. Her genres are many and varied, including realistic novels, fantasies, non-fiction, fairy tales, picture books, mysteries and poetry. She likes writing many different kinds of books because it’s challenging and it keeps her from getting bored. She has won several Children’s Choice and Parents’ Choice Awards, as well as the following: the Creature Carnival, Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2005; I Believe in Water: Twelve Brushes with Religion, New York Public Library’s “Best Books for the Teen Age,” 2001; Stay True: Short Stories for Strong Girls, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2000 (YALSA); On the Same Day in March, Booklist’s Top Ten Science Books of 2000; NCSS-CBC Notable Book, 2000; Deal with a Ghost, finalist, YA category, Edgar Award, 1998; It Can’t Hurt Forever, Maud Hart Lovelace Award, 1983; The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 1983; Turtle in July, NCTE Notable, N.Y.Times Best Illustrated and Time Magazine Best Children’s Books of 1989; Turtle in July was also a Reading Rainbow review book.

Marilyn currently lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband Steve; their standard poodle Oggi, a cousin of their beloved and recently departed poodle Easy, seen in the home page photo; a cat named August ; two collared doves named Jubilee and Holiday; and a starling named Darling. Her interests include dog training, reading, hiking, bird-watching, gardening, meditation, playing computer adventure games and going to the movies and the theatre. She’s also a major Star Trek fan.