Kitten Smitten

"Kitten Smitten: A Love That Dared Not Bark Its Name... Till Now" is a story about a seemingly tough dog who harbors a secret love of all things feline. It has rich color illustrations and is told in light verse designed to appeal to readers from primary grades through adulthood. Although it begins with the protagonist's shy admission, it ends with a joyous celebration of the self-acceptance that he feels. The underlying themes are universal: Be yourself; Love is love; and It's okay to be a little different.

"I know this may sound crazy, and please don't tell my friends. They'll say I'm weird, but here's the thing: I think I might like cats..." Thus begins "Kitten Smitten: A Love That Dared Not Bark Its Name...Till Now." This is the story of Rex, a big, tough dog whose sometimes-fierce demeanor toward other dogs conceals his life-long, secret love of all things feline. It is told in light verse with rich, color illustrations designed to be accessible and entertaining to readers from primary school through adulthood. The rhyme and meter make it fun for adults and kids to read aloud, and a smattering of cultural and literary references will appeal to the former, in particular. Although the story begins with Rex's hesitant admission, it ends with his joyous declaration of self-acceptance. The underlying themes are universal: Be yourself; Love is love; and It's okay to be a little different.

Donna Hughes is a writer who began her studies of animal behavior as a pre-schooler, when she discovered that she could lure neighbors' dogs back to her house if she filled her tiny pockets with deli ham. (At the time, she thought she had invented the "He followed me home. Can we keep him?" gambit.) In the ensuing decades, she has engaged in more formal studies of animal behavior, which included earning a Ph.D. in cognitive/behavioral psychology and teaching university courses in these areas. Having left academia in search of gainful employment years ago, she leads a generally informal life filled with pets and people who love them. Most of her humorous verse is based on true stories from this seemingly endless source of material. Her work has been published in "The Bark," the national magazine of dog culture and lifestyle, as well as being chosen for display around Alexandria, Virginia in a month-long, city-wide salute to the love of canines. In 2018, she was named honorary "Poet Laureate" of Your Dog's Best Friends, an award-winning dog daycare and training center, where her own dog was on staff as a professional Orientation Dog for many years. By day, she works for a K-12 education consulting company, where she writes things of a generally serious nature without rhyme, meter or whimsy, alas. However, it was here that literacy expert colleagues convinced her that her poems would appeal to children as well as adults. Her website, PawetryInMotion.com, features her ever-growing collection of pet-centric light verse in the form of illustrated prints, greeting cards, et al. She can also be contacted directly at PawetryInMotion@gmail.com.