Dog-loving children will find excellent advice for puppy care in a poetic package.
The team of Howell and Pilicer (Greetings!, 2019, etc.) returns in this rhyming exploration of a boy welcoming a new puppy to the family.
When Daddy brings home a puppy, the narrator isn’t immediately sure what to make of him. But soon the pooch, named Murray, wiggles his way into the boy’s heart. Although the two become friends, the boy discusses how the puppy needs to learn the right set of behaviors. The narrator comforts Murray when he barks too much. And “When Grandma comes to visit, / He squirms and jumps ahead. / Time to teach him ‘No’ and ‘Down’, / Now Murray sits instead.” The boy walks Murray, tries to teach him to fetch, and convinces him that shoes are not suitable for chewing. In this picture book, Howell neatly blends the joys of having a dog and how loving the canine can be with the responsibilities of raising a puppy. The smooth rhymes scan well throughout, delivering puppy-raising suggestions that feel shared from a friend rather than strictly instructional. Pilicer’s gouache/digital cartoon images have painterly backgrounds; Murray stands out in the scenes as the only character drawn with heavy lines, which work well for the black-and-white pup. Though the narrator and his family are white, the illustrator includes friends and dog owners of different races and ethnicities. Pet tips at the end spell out the counsel introduced in the rhymes.
Dog-loving children will find excellent advice for puppy care in a poetic package.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-947854-59-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: Handersen Publishing, LLC
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2019
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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