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SMALL BROWN DOG’S BAD REMEMBERING DAY

Name: SMALL BROWN DOG’S BAD REMEMBERING DAY
Author: Mike Gibbie
ISBN: 0-525-46397-6

by Mike Gibbie & illustrated by Barbara Nascimbeni ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2000

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Poster puppy for cluelessness, a small dog with a white patch on one eye wakes up one morning dismayed to discover his name, collar, and entire life misplaced. Off he charges on a true journey of self-discovery. Though a series of canine acquaintances cumulatively fill in some of the gaps—“ ‘You are a small brown dog with a pink nose who likes splashing in puddles’ ”—his name remains a mystery. Aside from frequent appearances by a tiny blue mouse, it's a dog’s world in Nascimbeni’s (What If?, 1999, etc.) loopy, spacious cartoons, composed along canted planes using just a few vigorously brushed colors and the occasional bit of patterned material or newsprint. With each encounter, Small Brown Dog fills out as a character for readers as well as himself, and by the time he’s tracked down both collar and name (“ ‘Patch!’ ”), he will seem as familiar as any real pet. He’s not the only forgetful character in a children’s book, but he is the most engagingly doggy one, and his plight may make children—not to mention parents—feel better about their own “senior moments.” (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: June 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-525-46397-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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JOEY'S WAY

by Kate Aver & illustrated by Ronald Himler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 1992

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Variations on a simple theme: each season, when Gramp and Grandma take Joey (five) and her older brother and sister on an outing, Joey's approach to their activities is unique. Instead of pretty leaves, she collects acorns that later attract squirrels; while Beth and Sam pick wildflowers, Joey gazes at them, preparing to draw her bouquet; at the beach, she collects bits of colored glass that later make a lovely display in a jar of water. Each time, Beth and Sam tease her, only to realize that Joey's results are special. Newcomer Aver doesn't so much develop as restate the idea in her brief chapters, but she has a good feel for children's dialogue and concerns. Illustrations not seen. (Fiction/Young reader. 6-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1992

ISBN: 0-689-50552-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: McElderry

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1992

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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YOU'RE NOT MY BEST FRIEND ANYMORE

by Charlotte Pomerantz & illustrated by David Soman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1998

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Molly and Ben live in the same two family house, wear identical shirts to school, sit together in the lunch room, and, since their birthdays are only five days apart, share a single party every year. It’s a beautiful friendship that hits the rocks when they can’t agree on the kind of tent to buy with their collective savings. After nearly a week of not speaking, they reluctantly agree to have their party “for the sake of the grown-ups,” and discover that they’ve both spent all their money buying each other sleeping bags. Rift mended, they camp out together that night in the yard. In realistic, golden-toned watercolors, Soman artfully captures his young characters (one of whom is African-American) passing through annoyance, anger, regret, and loneliness before moving back to contentment. Conflict resolution is a common theme, but it’s rare and refreshing to see children work out their differences on their own, without adult advice. (Picture book. 6-7)