A sweet slice of rural American canine life.
A lovable bird dog points the way to outdoor fun in the country in this children’s book.
Harkey (The Budding Staff, 2005) presents a playful collection of stories narrated by a German short-haired pointer named Doc (his pedigree name is Chicoree’s Hickory Doc). The oldest in a family of five, good ol’ Doc spins colorful tales about quail-hunting dogs—like his daughter, Patch, who is the best tracker of all—in rural Oklahoma. Then there’s Doc’s laughably snooty little brother, Zeke, who brags about being kin to royalty because his coat is speckled instead of a “common” liver brown like Doc’s. The two brothers vie for the affections of Sly, a graceful bird dog with an impressive pedigree. Featuring other silly characters, such as a clumsy Labrador retriever named Newt, the tales reveal that life at the Lazy Dog Hacienda is full of giggly high jinks and an occasional snout of porcupine quills. There are scary moments, though, as when Big Bad Carl—the meanest hunter ever—steals Patch. And there’s some intrigue, including the mystery of the missing dog food. While conventional black-and-white drawings of big-eyed canines precede the chapters, they add little excitement to the stories (aimed at elementary school readers). But catchy chapter titles, like “Hamburgers, Fries, Caesar Salad, and Temptation,” and boldface subtitles break the prose into eye-appealing sections. With a voice that’s as friendly as a neighbor at the door with a pecan pie, Doc’s down-home dialogue is sprinkled with references that many kids should like. For example, he uses fast food to describe the scent of quails: “Well, I can tell you they smell like no other smell—sort of a cross between chicken nuggets and fries.” When he’s around Zeke, Doc acts like a human brother; for example, they have staring contests. For those who aren’t squeamish about dogs eating pig ears for snacks, this collection gently—and respectfully—offers the basics of quail hunting: during the “off season,” the birds “need to rest and repopulate.” Harkey accents the prose with short, memorable landscape descriptions: wind that’s always blowing and prairie grass way taller than the dogs.
A sweet slice of rural American canine life.Pub Date: July 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4808-4723-1
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Archway Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
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