Fails to live up to its title, but canine lovers should appreciate the happy ending.
In this debut picture book, a dog in an animal shelter learns about loyalty.
Booger (don’t laugh at his name) Coffman is a young canine, perhaps a Chihuahua, who began life outdoors with his mother and siblings. Things turned rough after he was weaned and he and his mother—his siblings were, mysteriously, taken away in a car—had to scrounge for food. One day, a truck transports Booger to a scary place with cages and noise. He misses his mother; the food smells bad; and he’s sprayed with cold water. But then a little old woman points out the lonely dog to Mike, who kisses him on the head and loves him instantly. Booger, delighted at being chosen, declares: “I will love you and kiss you and...be loyal to you! That’s it! Loyalty! To be a true friend, best buddy or a great companion.” Although Coffman intends to explore the concept of loyalty in this first installment of a series, that characteristic is hard to distinguish from gratitude. That’s especially so since the story ends on the first day of Booger’s friendship with Mike, leaving no time for development—just a heartfelt resolution. It’s also confusing that Bella, mentioned in the title, has no place in the tale. The uncredited dog photographs (plus one illustration), against a pastel watercolor background, are engaging and thankfully don’t depict Booger’s privations.
Fails to live up to its title, but canine lovers should appreciate the happy ending.Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-64151-385-2
Page Count: 20
Publisher: LitFire Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2018
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
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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