POPPY THE PIRATE DOG'S NEW SHIPMATE

Name: POPPY THE PIRATE DOG'S NEW SHIPMATE
Author: Liz Kessler
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6751-1

by Liz Kessler ; illustrated by Mike Phillips ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2014

Poppy and her crew best be a-sparkin’ up the plots and purveying the piratical prattle soon, or this series is likely to be...

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Following her debut in Poppy the Pirate Dog (2013), the seagoing Dalmatian is back for another outing.

This time, the normally perky pup is depressed, as the children in her family, Tim and Suzy, have returned to school after summer vacation. The family decides to acquire a “little brother” to keep Poppy company—but the new addition turns out to be not another dog as Poppy hoped, but an orange-striped kitten named George. The family focuses all their attention on the adorable new kitten, leaving Poppy even more desolate, and predictable conflict between cat and dog ensues. Also predictably, when George falls in the garden pond, Poppy rescues him, and they suddenly become best buddies. There is no pirate action or lingo beyond a couple of skull-and-crossbones bandannas, no seagoing adventure, and in fact, no real adventure of any kind. The rather wordy text is divided into five short chapters for beginning readers, but only previous Poppy fans or Dalmatian devotees are likely to be interested in the story. Loose watercolor-and-ink illustrations on every page give Poppy and George some personality, but the mundane text drags the overall effort down.

Poppy and her crew best be a-sparkin’ up the plots and purveying the piratical prattle soon, or this series is likely to be tossed overboard. (Early reader. 6-8)

Pub Date: April 22, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6751-1

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: March 11, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
SHONA FINDS HER VOICE
by Liz Kessler ; illustrated by Joanie Stone

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN THE WORLD WAS OURS
by Liz Kessler

- BOOK REVIEW
EMILY WINDSNAP AND THE FALLS OF FORGOTTEN ISLAND
by Liz Kessler ; illustrated by Erin Farley

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DEAR BEAST

by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Kevan Atteberry ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2020

An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag.

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Epistolary dispatches from the eternal canine/feline feud.

Simon the cat is angry. He had done a good job taking care of his boy, Andy, but now that Andy’s parents are divorced, a dog named Baxter has moved into Andy’s dad’s house. Simon believes that there isn’t enough room in Andy’s life for two furry friends, so he uses the power of the pen to get Baxter to move out. Inventively for the early-chapter-book format, the story is told in letters written back and forth; Simon’s are impeccably spelled on personalized stationery while Baxter’s spelling slowly improves through the letters he scrawls on scraps of paper. A few other animals make appearances—a puffy-lipped goldfish who for some reason punctuates her letter with “Blub…blub…” seems to be the only female character (cued through stereotypical use of eyelashes and red lipstick), and a mustachioed snail ferries the mail to and fro. White-appearing Andy is seen playing with both animals as a visual background to the text, as is his friend Noah (a dark-skinned child who perhaps should not be nicknamed “N Man”). Cat lovers will appreciate Simon’s prickliness while dog aficionados will likely enjoy Baxter’s obtuse enthusiasm, and all readers will learn about the time and patience it takes to overcome conflict and jealousy with someone you dislike.

An effective early chapter book conveyed in a slightly overdone gag. (Fiction. 6-8)

Pub Date: May 12, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-8234-4492-2

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PET PARADE
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Kevan Atteberry

- BOOK REVIEW
KING & KAYLA AND THE CASE OF THE GOLD RING
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Nancy Meyers

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TREASURE TROOP
by Dori Hillestad Butler ; illustrated by Tim Budgen

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THERE'S A PEST IN THE GARDEN!

From the Giggle Gang series

by Jan Thomas ; illustrated by Jan Thomas ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2017

Silly reads for new readers to dig into.

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A turnip-loving duck and its friends defend their garden.

Alas, the duck, sheep, dog, and donkey immediately discover the eponymous pest in the garden when it (a groundhog?) eats a row of beans. The duck is frantic that turnips are next, but instead the pest eats the sheep’s favorite crop: corn. Peas occupy the next row, and the pest gobbles them up, too. Instead of despairing, however, the donkey cries, “Yippee! He ate ALL THE PEAS!” and catching the others’ puzzled looks, continues, “I don’t like peas.” After this humorous twist, the only uneaten row is sown with turnips, and the duck leaps to devour them before the pest can do so. In a satisfying, funny conclusion, the duck beams when the dog, sheep, and donkey resolve to plant a new garden and protect it with a fence, only to find out that it will exclude not just the groundhog, but the duck, too. A companion release, What Is Chasing Duck?, has the same brand of humor and boldly outlined figures rendered in a bright palette, but its storyline doesn’t come together as well since it’s unclear why the duck is scared and why the squirrel that was chasing it doesn’t recognize the others when they turn and chase him at book’s end.

Silly reads for new readers to dig into. (Early reader. 6-8)