September 12, 2023 by Tiger Tales
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
The Doggy Dance off is really hopping, with Patch (and his fleas), Suki, Dynamite Doug, and Duke Doggy Doo. They are boogieing, break dancing, and tearing up the dance floor. When one pup spills his orange juice, one exuberant dancer in a black suit with a purple sequined mask and a fedora doesn't stop, but continues to get down and get funky... until she slips on the juice. Who is this masked, mad dancer? There's a big twist that I don't want to spoil, but it will illicit a lot of laughs from young readers.
If the musical genre of my youth is showing up in picture books, you know I'm getting old, because this is clearly meant to appeal to grandparents who did a turn or two at a disco back in the day. The sparkle and energy of Saturday Night Fever is evident on every page, and the styles the dogs are wearing evoke various musical artists.
This is reminiscent of Boynton's fabulous Barnyard Dance, and the use of dactyllic lines definitely echoes the hand clapping and foot stomping vibe of that book. The refrain of "Down at the big Doggy Dance-Off" will be repeated again and again. There are a few times that the meter of the lines is off (and I may correct the text in my copy for ease of future readings), but I am very picky about poetry, and most of the lines flow off the tongue like a silk disco dress.
This would be a great title to have if you wanted to have a dog and dance themed story hour; just add a disco ball, some glitter shades, and Bender's Ballewiena and Litwin's Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown. Get ready to ease on down the road!
The Doggy Dance off is really hopping, with Patch (and his fleas), Suki, Dynamite Doug, and Duke Doggy Doo. They are boogieing, break dancing, and tearing up the dance floor. When one pup spills his orange juice, one exuberant dancer in a black suit with a purple sequined mask and a fedora doesn't stop, but continues to get down and get funky... until she slips on the juice. Who is this masked, mad dancer? There's a big twist that I don't want to spoil, but it will illicit a lot of laughs from young readers.
If the musical genre of my youth is showing up in picture books, you know I'm getting old, because this is clearly meant to appeal to grandparents who did a turn or two at a disco back in the day. The sparkle and energy of Saturday Night Fever is evident on every page, and the styles the dogs are wearing evoke various musical artists.
This is reminiscent of Boynton's fabulous Barnyard Dance, and the use of dactyllic lines definitely echoes the hand clapping and foot stomping vibe of that book. The refrain of "Down at the big Doggy Dance-Off" will be repeated again and again. There are a few times that the meter of the lines is off (and I may correct the text in my copy for ease of future readings), but I am very picky about poetry, and most of the lines flow off the tongue like a silk disco dress.
This would be a great title to have if you wanted to have a dog and dance themed story hour; just add a disco ball, some glitter shades, and Bender's Ballewiena and Litwin's Groovy Joe: Dance Party Countdown. Get ready to ease on down the road!
June 13, 2023 by Penguin Workshop
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
From the point of view of Rusty, a terrier, biologist John Bradshaw takes us through a day in the life through a canine point of view. Along the way, we learn how dogs perceive the world through their various senses, and explores why they do the things they do. From super smelling abilities to how a dog feels when left home alone, this short book delivers helpful instruction in the form of a chapter novel.
This was very fun, and would make a great gift for elementary age children who desperately wanted (and had a chance of someday adopting!) a dog of their own. It follows a cartoon dog named Rusty around during a day and explains the sorts of activities that make him happy. There is a lot of information about how dogs process smells. I once heard someone say that sniffing the world while out on walks was a dog's equivalent of reading the newspaper, so I have always taken my dogs on lots of walks and let them smell as much along the way as they would like.
The illustrations are very cute, and this book is a great introduction to pets for readers who are a little too young for a book like Alexandra Horowitz's Our Dogs, Ourselves.
From the point of view of Rusty, a terrier, biologist John Bradshaw takes us through a day in the life through a canine point of view. Along the way, we learn how dogs perceive the world through their various senses, and explores why they do the things they do. From super smelling abilities to how a dog feels when left home alone, this short book delivers helpful instruction in the form of a chapter novel.
This was very fun, and would make a great gift for elementary age children who desperately wanted (and had a chance of someday adopting!) a dog of their own. It follows a cartoon dog named Rusty around during a day and explains the sorts of activities that make him happy. There is a lot of information about how dogs process smells. I once heard someone say that sniffing the world while out on walks was a dog's equivalent of reading the newspaper, so I have always taken my dogs on lots of walks and let them smell as much along the way as they would like.
The illustrations are very cute, and this book is a great introduction to pets for readers who are a little too young for a book like Alexandra Horowitz's Our Dogs, Ourselves.
June 6, 2023 by Candlewick Press
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
After his adventures in Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat and Ruffles and the Teeny, Tiny Kittens, we know that while Ruffles enjoys many things, he is also not particularly good with change or with the unfamiliar. When a new green thing appears in his dog dish (looking suspiciously like a piece of broccoli), he is apprehensive and a bit irritated that his usual food is not there. He investigates, but cannot come to any conclusion. When his friend Ralph comes to play, he gives the thing in Ruffles' bowl a taste. Since Ruffles looks up to Ralph, who seems very accomplished and perhaps a bit older, Ruffles tries the new food as well. It's not as bad as he thinks, and perhaps even delicious, but this doesn't stop Ruffles from another round of suspicion when something orange appears in his bowl.
Ruffles is very much like a toddler in his enthusiam for and approach to life, and the text is perfect for reading with this age group. We all sometimes need a message about trying and accepting new things! It's delightfully repetitive, and begs to be read while lying on one's stomach on a carpeted floor, so that when the pages with Ruffles enjoying a variety activities comes up, the readers can replicate his actions! (He... "creeps... and stares... and listens... and circles...") Young readers sometimes have limited patience with long text, so having one sentence on most pages, then the occasional views of Ruffles' various activities is perfect. This book would be very easy to memorize, which will be helpful.
The depiction of Ruffles and Ralph is simple but delightful, and the expressions on their faces particularly charming. The primary colors and clear lines don't detract from the text, so it's easy to point to words in order to sound them out. The white space (or in some cases, yellow or pink) also makes this book easy on the eye and fun to navigate. While I'm a fan of picture books with a lot of background details, there is also something to be said for books with a less visually cluttered approach.
Growing up, I was a huge fan of Graham's Harry the Dirty Dog, and I am glad to see that Ruffles is getting more and more books in his series, including the October 2023 Ruffles and the Cozy, Cozy Bed. Ruffles is in good company with dogs like Papp's Madeline Finn and the Library Dog, Wells' McDuff, Capucilli's Biscuit and Bo from Higgins' Good Dog series for slightly older readers.
Glad Pongo got his books read for a change! :)
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