More frustrating than heartwarming.
Cameron’s latest puppy tale stars a service dog–in-training.
Cooper, a Malamute/Great Dane puppy, enjoys life with his litter and canine best friend, Lacey. But one day, the pups are separated, adopted by different families. Burke, who uses a wheelchair, wants to train Cooper as a service dog before starting sixth grade; previously home-schooled, Burke believes that Cooper will help him fit in at middle school. Homesick, Cooper is soon further bewildered by strange games to teach him commands such as leave it and assist. Expository dialogue and Cooper’s quintessentially canine narration illustrate aspects of service-dog training as Cooper gradually becomes accustomed to his tasks and devoted to his boy—but not everyone loves Cooper. The author muddles a potentially educational plot by conflating service dogs—which are trained to perform specific tasks and granted full public-access rights by the Americans With Disabilities Act—and emotional support animals, which are not. Such confusion risks perpetuating misconceptions about service animals. Burke’s relationship with his older brother is heartening, but their affectionately humorous banter can’t override unclear information or an implausible plot. The premise that a young person with a disability should have to depend on the charisma of a dog to be accepted by peers is troublingly not addressed. Most characters default to White.
More frustrating than heartwarming. (reading and activity guide) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-16338-7
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Starscape/Tom Doherty
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new...
How Ivan confronts his harrowing past yet stays true to his nature exemplifies everything youngsters need to know about courage.
Living in a "domain" of glass, metal and cement at the Big Top Mall, Ivan sometimes forgets whether to act like a gorilla or a human—except Ivan does not think much of humans. He describes their behavior as frantic, whereas he is a peaceful artist. Fittingly, Ivan narrates his tale in short, image-rich sentences and acute, sometimes humorous, observations that are all the more heartbreaking for their simple delivery. His sorrow is palpable, but he stoically endures the cruelty of humans until Ruby the baby elephant is abused. In a pivotal scene, Ivan finally admits his domain is a cage, and rather than let Ruby live and die in grim circumstances, he promises to save her. In order to express his plea in a painting, Ivan must bravely face buried memories of the lush jungle, his family and their brutal murder, which is recounted in a brief, powerful chapter sure to arouse readers’ passions. In a compelling ending, the more challenging question Applegate poses is whether or not Ivan will remember what it was like to be a gorilla. Spot art captures poignant moments throughout.
Utterly believable, this bittersweet story, complete with an author’s note identifying the real Ivan, will inspire a new generation of advocates. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Jan. 17, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-06-199225-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2011
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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