Dog Show, Billy Collins
Dog Show, Billy Collins
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Dog Show
Poems

Author: Billy Collins

Narrator: Billy Collins

Unabridged: 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/18/2025

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins captures the essence and mystery of dogs in this special collection of poems inspired by our beloved companions, with striking watercolor canine portraits by Pamela Sztybel.

“Collins remains the most companionable of poetic companions.” —The New York Times

Billy Collins’s Dog Show celebrates the joy of our canine best friends, honoring the love we feel for the animals who play such vital roles in our lives. In twenty-five poems, Collins distills the many ways dogs warm our hearts, from the happiness we experience as we watch a dog run unencumbered by our burdens, to the silliness of cradling a dog in our arms as we step on the scale together. Turning his inimitable eye and ear to the complexities of dog behavior, Collins ponders all that these winning creatures give us and what we learn from them about ourselves.

For more than four decades Collins has delighted readers with his insight, wit, and clear poetic voice. In Dog Show, “America’s favorite poet” (The Wall Street Journal) illuminates America’s favorite pet (sorry, cat lovers). Accompanied by Pamela Sztybel’s watercolors, which effortlessly depict a dog’s humble grace, Dog Show reveals the profound role these majestic animals play in our lives and the meaning they give us.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of Pamela Sztybel's paintings from the book

About Billy Collins

Billy Collins served two terms as the Poet Laureate of the United States, in 2001 to 2003, and then as the New York State Poet for 2004 through 2006. He is the author of several collections of poetry. He has won the Mark Twain Award for Humor in Poetry, the Norman Mailer Prize for Poetry, the Levinson Prize, and the Oscar Blumenthal Prize and been named Poetry magazine’s Poet of the Year and a New York Public Library Literary Lion, among many other awards and honors. He is a distinguished professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York and is the senior distinguished fellow of the Winter Park Institute in Florida.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Wil on November 21, 2025

Whimsical and thought-provoking poems about canines and human-kind’s relationship with them. Collins’s work includes “role reversals” where canines take the role of narrator-poet and observe the world poetically from a dog’s perspective. If you’re a dog-lover, You know that dogs connect directly wit......more

Goodreads review by Andrew on November 23, 2025

In praise of the dog, Billy Collins' wit and poetry evoke our encounters with this beautiful companion creature of our planet. Each page has Pamela Sztybel's exquisite portraits of dogs in all their moods and expressions. Like much of Collins' poetry, this is my morning read. It puts me in a good mo......more

Goodreads review by Becky on November 20, 2025

I listened to this audiobook in one sitting on Libby. Author Billy Collins narrates his short book of canine poetry with a smooth and soothing tone. This was a quick, relaxing and feel good book. I wish I had picked up a physical copy of the book to read along and take in the watercolors in tandem.......more

Goodreads review by tin on November 24, 2025

Listened to this in one go on the way home from B&N. From the top of my head, favorites are: Dharma, The Revenant, and Dog Years.......more

Goodreads review by Chad on November 23, 2025

Contains my favorite poem by this author. Very very good.......more

Quotes

“Collins remains the most companionable of poetic companions.”—The New York Times

“The slim volume of 25 poems by Billy Collins, the former U.S. Poet Laureate, is a tribute to canines and is complete with splendid watercolor illustrations by Pamela Sztybel. Best of all, you do not have to own one as a pet (or, more to the truth, be owned by one) to revel in verses like this.”—Air Mail

“[Dog Show] displays how full of feelings each individual canine is and how precious the friendship of a dog can be. The pleasures here are many for Collins fans, dog lovers, and any reader looking for clever, poignant, and spirit-lifting poems accompanied by deft, lively, and affectionate paintings.”—Booklist

“Dog Show is a heartwarming collection regardless of whether or not you have a dog. In fact, there is even a poem directed at cat owners. Most of all, everyone will gain some important insight into the world of dogs and those who love them. When you read a Billy Collins poem, it is entertainment, almost as if you are listening to a beautiful song. Take a moment to enjoy where his poetry takes you.”—Bookreporter

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