A sweet success story about transforming a scared, neglected pup into a champion.
This debut picture book by sheltie–rescue-advocate Greiner describes how to care for Shetland sheepdogs.
Sashi, a sheltie, herds by instinct. She chases everything, imagining cars and children on bicycles to be sheep. Her owners don’t understand that this is the nature of shelties, and they drop her off at a shelter rather than try to train her. Afraid of everything, Sashi spends most of her time hiding from the people who visit the shelter. But eventually, a woman from Shetland Sheepdog Rescue comes to rehabilitate Sashi—and only a few days later, a little girl named Anna and her mother bring Sashi home. The girl and her mom know what it takes to train a dog to come, sit and investigate scary things. During the training process, Anna teaches Sashi to find her in hide-and-seek games around the house—an idea sure to delight young dog lovers. Readers will be pleased to watch frightened Sashi gain confidence and feel loved (rather than being constantly scolded for her natural behavior). Based on a true story, this picture book has a lot of kid appeal, and the illustrations are delightfully child-friendly. The idea that various dog breeds act differently may help families make better decisions when looking to buy or rescue a dog. The relationship between Anna and Sashi is heartwarming and will resonate with readers who love dogs. The vocabulary is largely approachable for newly independent readers, with some challenging words and phrases. Lap readers may enjoy looking at the pictures and discussing Sashi’s happy ending.
A sweet success story about transforming a scared, neglected pup into a champion.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A joyful celebration.
Families in a variety of configurations play, dance, and celebrate together.
The rhymed verse, based on a song from the Noodle Loaf children’s podcast, declares that “Families belong / Together like a puzzle / Different-sized people / One big snuggle.” The accompanying image shows an interracial couple of caregivers (one with brown skin and one pale) cuddling with a pajama-clad toddler with light brown skin and surrounded by two cats and a dog. Subsequent pages show a wide array of families with members of many different racial presentations engaging in bike and bus rides, indoor dance parties, and more. In some, readers see only one caregiver: a father or a grandparent, perhaps. One same-sex couple with two children in tow are expecting another child. Smart’s illustrations are playful and expressive, curating the most joyful moments of family life. The verse, punctuated by the word together, frequently set in oversized font, is gently inclusive at its best but may trip up readers with its irregular rhythms. The song that inspired the book can be found on the Noodle Loaf website.
A joyful celebration. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22276-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
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