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The Dogpyre Syndrome

Name: The Dogpyre Syndrome
Author: Sandy Woolworth
ISBN: 978-0-9852645-2-9

From the Theater Books series , Vol. 2

by Sandy Woolworth ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2015

A humorous, suspenseful twist on the vampire tale for young readers who don’t mind horror.

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Friendly neighborhood dogs become vampires in this fun but gruesome middle-grade story.

The second installment in Woolworth’s (The Kindness of Strangers, 2012) series about Winnie, a paralyzed corgi, gives readers a tale from a dog’s point of view. Winnie and her friend, a wolf named Parsi, communicate via a software program called DOGSPEAK, which was introduced in the series’ first book (but helpfully explained in an afterword here). The story begins with an animal rights activist breaking into DuPont Experimental Station and stealing a test tube carrier containing an experimental material called Phyto 710. The burglar falls and releases the chemical into the Brandywine River, where it later infects a bat. This sets into motion an epidemic of bats biting dogs, turning them into “Dogpyres.” One affected neighborhood dog, Nigel, sinks his sharp canines into Winnie’s stomach when she wanders out of her yard one day. Fortunately, Parsi is immune to the syndrome and rescues Winnie. Parsi’s “primary,” or owner, Paulette Espin, is the chemist who invented Phyto 710, so when the dogs start changing, she’s able to figure out what’s happening with the help of Winnie’s owners and other scientists. In order to track down the source of the infection, though, they need Parsi to go on a dangerous mission. This wacky story seems aimed at older children, and ends on an upbeat note. The book breaks its fast-moving plot into short, snappy chapters with titles sketched in a blood-red typeface, and colorful drawings by Carol Tippit Woolworth illuminate key details, such as Parsi’s protective K-9 suit. However, its frequent use of undefined technical terms such as “phytohemagglutinins” and “macrophage” may confuse readers, and the doggie narration sometimes becomes repetitive. Some grotesque elements, such as dismembered baby bats and a dog falling down a well and breaking his neck, may disturb squeamish readers.

A humorous, suspenseful twist on the vampire tale for young readers who don’t mind horror.

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-9852645-2-9

Page Count: 72

Publisher: TipWorth Press

Review Posted Online: March 7, 2016

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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TALES FOR VERY PICKY EATERS

by Josh Schneider & illustrated by Josh Schneider ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
ULTRABOT'S FIRST PLAYDATE
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider

- BOOK REVIEW
KID AMAZING VS. THE BLOB
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERYBODY SLEEPS (BUT NOT FRED)
by Josh Schneider ; illustrated by Josh Schneider

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ABIYOYO RETURNS

by Pete Seeger & Paul Dubois Jacobs & illustrated by Michael Hays ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2001

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The seemingly ageless Seeger brings back his renowned giant for another go in a tuneful tale that, like the art, is a bit sketchy, but chockful of worthy messages. Faced with yearly floods and droughts since they’ve cut down all their trees, the townsfolk decide to build a dam—but the project is stymied by a boulder that is too huge to move. Call on Abiyoyo, suggests the granddaughter of the man with the magic wand, then just “Zoop Zoop” him away again. But the rock that Abiyoyo obligingly flings aside smashes the wand. How to avoid Abiyoyo’s destruction now? Sing the monster to sleep, then make it a peaceful, tree-planting member of the community, of course. Seeger sums it up in a postscript: “every community must learn to manage its giants.” Hays, who illustrated the original (1986), creates colorful, if unfinished-looking, scenes featuring a notably multicultural human cast and a towering Cubist fantasy of a giant. The song, based on a Xhosa lullaby, still has that hard-to-resist sing-along potential, and the themes of waging peace, collective action, and the benefits of sound ecological practices are presented in ways that children will both appreciate and enjoy. (Picture book. 5-9)