An affectionate, enjoyable look at a cheerful, well-loved, and somewhat destructive dog.
In this debut illustrated children’s book, an enthusiastic canine shows how much he savors life through his vigorous tail-wagging.
Jack is a medium-sized, blue-and-white dog with a long snout, pointy ears, a red tongue—and a very expressive tail. He lives with a white family that includes a father and mother plus little blonde Suzy and brown-haired Johnny. Jack embraces every part of his routine, beginning with waking up Johnny and getting fed: “It’s my favorite time of day!” He adores playing ball with Johnny and, though sitting still for a portrait by Suzy isn’t as much fun, Jack whacks his tail at the thought of a game of tag afterward. He also relishes running with the kids as they ride their bikes, getting head pats from Daddy, taking part in the kids’ playtime, protecting Mommy from a threatening mailman, going on walks, hoping for barbecue handouts, and even getting a bath—“my favorite thing!” Although Jack constantly knocks things over with his ever wagging tail, no one seems to mind. At the day’s end, everyone says good night to Jack. He loves all the members of his family, and they love him. In his book, Rouillard tells a sweet, happy story. In truth, Jack’s energetic tail-wagging can be something of a nuisance: items that go flying include a cellphone, a water glass, a T-ball bat (which hits Johnny on the head), everything in the garage, a bowl of chips, and many toys. In the real world, something or someone could get damaged. In addition, caretakers should never allow a dog to menace delivery people (and why, if he’s protecting Mommy, would Jack still be wagging his tail?). Nevertheless, the work captures just how much a beloved pet becomes part of the family and the infectious nature of a content dog’s joyfulness. Illustrator Burk (I Am a Truffle Dog, 2013) provides softly shaded, full-color pictures showing the often chaotic effects of Jack’s whack, whack, whacking tail.
An affectionate, enjoyable look at a cheerful, well-loved, and somewhat destructive dog.Pub Date: March 24, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-9976730-0-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Fire Monkey Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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