This witty story of friendship and dogged determination will appeal to young and adult readers alike.
A fun-loving pooch has a very tough first day at doggie daycare in Shepardson’s middle-grade chapter book.
If Hank had his way, he’d spend all day every day with his “favorite little human.” But Paisy is starting kindergarten, and she and “Hu-Mom” don’t want Hank to be home alone. So, the next day, his humans leave him at Canines Unleashed, a doggie daycare. As Hank tries to make friends, he quickly learns that some of his typical behavior, like jumping when excited, is a big no-no at this place, and that breaking the rules could land him in a special training class or even doggie jail. As if that weren’t bad enough, one of the daycare regulars, Fred, isn’t a Hank fan; he goes out of his way to get Hank in trouble or steal his food. It’s a whole new experience at daycare, getting used to different nap times and learning when not to howl; Hank just wants to make it through the day so he can go home to Paisy. Shepardson’s fetching tale shows the importance of pet training: Hank is a gentle, loving dog, but he doesn’t know or abide by certain commands, which can be a real problem out in public. Fred is an effective antagonist, and Luna the Portie makes a superb counterpart—a potential new friend who’s there to support and comfort Hank. The four-legged hero has a big heart; despite his bad day, he constantly thinks about Paisy and hopes that her first day at school is going better than his. The author loads the pages with waggish, canine-relevant wordplay, like “pawsome,” “fur-ever,” and things that are simply “BARK-TASTIC.” Kwong’s black-and-white artwork enlivens the text, highlighting Hank’s best moments playing with toys or being happily covered in suds.
This witty story of friendship and dogged determination will appeal to young and adult readers alike.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9798336923353
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Clear Fork Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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