A gentle, well-paced reminder that shelter dogs need humans to love and care for them.
Ten dogs prepare themselves for their forever homes while waiting at a shelter.
Reg the Retriever wants his canine friends to get ready for a big day. It could be time for any one of them, from Grace the Greyhound to Bruce the Boxer, to get adopted from the shelter where they’ve all found themselves. Reg, however, has been at the shelter long enough to see his friends come and go. Will this be the day he finds a family, too? (Spoiler: It wouldn’t be much of an ending if he didn’t.) Reg and his nine pals each get a page or two in the spotlight, their fates revealed in rhyming couplets (“Meet this tiny snuffly chap / Who will snooze in your lap. / Settle in, nap time’s begun, / Peter the Pug is the one!”). Not all the text lands so lyrically (“All worries will shrink down to none. / Matt the Maltese is the one!”), but the sentiment is sweet throughout, and the dogs are each illustrated with their distinct physical characteristics and personality, which are restated after the story with a roundup of what traits each breed is known for. The huge, adorable “adopt-me” eyes may be a little exaggerated, but the moment Reg is chosen still lands with its intended emotional heft, as does a concluding two-page spread of all the rescue dogs with their new families, a racially diverse group of humans. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gentle, well-paced reminder that shelter dogs need humans to love and care for them. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-78993-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
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SEEN & HEARD
Children who love dogs will find this amusing the first time through, but the humor palls quickly.
In rhyming text, a bug-eyed pug named Pig stubbornly refuses to share with the almost equally bug-eyed Trevor, the “wiener dog” he lives with—and soon gets his comeuppance.
The book begins showing the eponymous dog astride a large, red bowl of dog food, tongue hanging out and all four paws gripping the bowl. It perfectly matches the text: “Pig was a Pug / and I’m sorry to say, / he was greedy and selfish / in most every way.” A bit of humor comes through when the text plays on the adage about pigs by reminding readers that “pugs cannot fly.” However, most of the text is composed of trite, tired rhymes. The ending is a punch line whose funny picture will have little ones giggling. However, the ultimate “lesson” is a rather dark cynicism, more appropriate to children older than the age suggested by the rhymes, the art, and even the publisher. There may be some vicarious thrills for those who have witnessed excessive selfishness. The artwork is humorous, although Pig’s appearance is sometimes more grotesque than funny—particularly when he shouts at Trevor. Both male dogs’ facial expressions and body language add to the humor, and dog lovers will appreciate Pig’s array of colorful toys. Scansion is spotty, which should not happen in verses so dependent on rhythm and rhyme to entertain their young audience.
Children who love dogs will find this amusing the first time through, but the humor palls quickly. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Dec. 27, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-338-11245-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
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