The spirit of Harry the Dirty Dog lives on in this tribute to an old pooch with an unquenchable urge to roam. Give Ruggles an open door or gate, a pile of papers next to the fence, or any other opportunity to scoot, however brief, and he’s off—to appreciate the beauty of a spring day, meet friendly neighbors in the park in the summer, get a handout from the local bakery in autumn, or roll delightedly in the snow. He always comes home, sooner or later—sometimes to a scolding, but, “After all, you can’t please everyone. We all know that.” Ruggles tells his tale with breezy assurance; Brown portrays him as a shaggy mutt in a placid, familiar, dog’s-eye-level world. Like the seasoned traveler he is, Ruggles settles down before the fireplace when the weather turns too harsh, promising himself new outings next spring. Readers will want to go with him. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2004
ISBN: 1-84270-212-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Andersen/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2004
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
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