A dog-narrated adventure for young readers full of action, heart and heroics.
An action adventure about two kids and their dog surviving in the wilderness.
A family camping adventure in the Ontario wilderness becomes a struggle for survival in Graham’s (What is Growing Out of Your Ear?, 2014) middle-grade novel. Hiking with their parents, Graham and his sister, Evelyn, mistakenly get separated after chasing after the family dog, Toby. Out in the wilderness by themselves, they must keep their wits about them as they encounter dangerous predators. As Graham and Evelyn find their way back to their mysteriously abandoned campsite, Toby wonders whether the strange woodsman Graham saw earlier has possibly done something to their parents. But more pressing dangers await: The wolf they encountered earlier is back, and there are more deadly creatures in the wild, including rattlesnakes. In the tense conclusion, Graham races to save his sister from a snakebite; Toby tries to protect his family from the wolf, and the woodsman’s true character is revealed. The action of the novel is intense and age-appropriate as Graham and Evelyn face down various threats. Narrated by the dog, the author adds a sense of fun and humor to the otherwise scary events. For example, when Evelyn needs to go to the bathroom and her mother searches their packs for toilet paper, Toby tries to offer his own advice: “Watch this, Evelyn. I try to get her attention by standing against a tree right in front of her. I lift my leg and, presto! Back to basics.” The success of Toby as a narrator comes from the balance of his canine and human qualities; as a dog, he chases loons, loves kibble and licks faces, but as a narrator, he offers descriptions of the action and insights into characters. Together with his amiable character and strong voice, Toby is a real, three-dimensional character; young readers will be drawn in by the dog’s big heart and heroic spirit. The human characters are just as compelling. Evelyn shows herself to be a capable, smart young girl, taking care of her brother when he breaks his arm, and Graham is a thoughtful older brother.
A dog-narrated adventure for young readers full of action, heart and heroics.Pub Date: July 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-1496923011
Page Count: 110
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83271-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2001
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