Toby’s actual family and friends will certainly appreciate this remembrance, but young readers with beloved canines of their...
A happy dog tells the story of his life in this debut children’s book, illustrated with photographs of the star.
Toby, 12, is a friendly, joyful yellow Labrador retriever who lives with a family consisting of a mother, father, two boys, and a girl. He’s also close to the children’s grandmother, who, Toby says, has agreed to write down his stories. Toby is an intelligent animal who understands several words, like “Grandma,” “dinner,” and “walk.” But the most important thing to Toby is food: “I love to eat and I can never get enough!!!” he says, with typical doggy enthusiasm. Sometimes this passion gets Toby in trouble. He adores counter surfing, so food must be kept out of his reach. In addition, carrying too much weight is hard for the aging Toby, who’s developed arthritis and has had leg surgery. But he sees the vet regularly and gets medications. Toby does report several times that he’s getting better about not eating people food; he wants to be a good dog. Besides his family and meals, Toby also likes wandering around his nice big house and yard, which has plenty of room to run and play with his toys; romping in the snow; going for walks and hikes, especially with Grandma; people-watching and enjoying the sights, like Christmas lights; and cavorting with other canines. In her book, Cutler paints a vivid portrait of a cherished family dog who’s sometimes naughty but mostly a very good boy. The writing, however, is unpolished, with the feel of something transcribed from a recording. The text skips around from subject to subject and back and forth through Toby’s timeline in no particular order, and the stories are slight. It’s a simple book about a simple dog—yet even so, it has the charm of its affable, cheerful narrator. The many family photographs are very helpful in rounding out the tale and giving a clear sense of Toby and his surroundings.
Toby’s actual family and friends will certainly appreciate this remembrance, but young readers with beloved canines of their own may enjoy it as well.Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-974360-63-5
Page Count: 34
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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