WOOF!

Happy National Dog Day!

What's your favorite dog book? Here are a few of mine!

      

      

      

       

 

PICTURE BOOKS        

Dog's Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

A dog named Dog starts off the day with one black spot on his ear, but collects nine other spots on his fur as he goes about his canine business around town

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

Mother dog is very concerned because her pup, George, makes lots of animal noises but no barks. Can the doctor help George find his bark?

RRRALPH by Lois Ehlert

Would you believe that Ralph the dog can talk? Yip, yip, yip--it's true!

BEGINNING READERS 

Big Dog and Little Dog series by Dav Pilkey

Houndsley and Catina series by James Howe

CHAPTER BOOK SERIES

Diary of a Pug series by Kyla May

McTavish series by Meg Rosoff

Bowser and Birdie series by Spencer Quinn

CHAPTER BOOKS 

Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban 

An encounter with a ghost dog changes a girl's life. 

The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate 

Bob is a very brave dog who will steal your heart.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Great things happen to Opal after she finds her dog, Winn-Dixie, in a grocery store.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey

I love this series! Dog Man is a crime fighter with the head of a police dog and the body of a policeman. 

Pawcasso by Remy Lai

One Saturday, eleven year old Jo follows a grocery shopping dog into town. And thus begins a story of mistaken identities and new friends.

NON-FICTION

Honey, The Dog Who Saved Abe Lincoln  by Shari Swanson

When he was a young boy, Abe Lincoln rescued a dog. Soon it would be Honey's turn to repay that favor. 

 

 

   

If You Were an Elephant by Leslie Staub; illustrated by Richard Jones; published July 20, 2021

This book is filled with fascinating facts about elephants! It is written in a lyrical style that is not quite rhyming; instead the author uses words that sound alike or share vowel or consonant sounds so the words almost feel like they rhyme. It was a joy to read out loud!
Staub's book presents facts about elephants - how they behave, bond, and remember. Our next book relates the true story of a herd of elephants that actually do all of the things mentioned in Staub's book.

The Elephant's Come Home: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic; illustrated by Hadley Hooper; published May 18, 2021.

I loved this extraordinary story! It is definitely one of my favorites for the year. Lawrence and Francoise (and their dog, Max) live at Thula Thula - a game preserve in Zululand in South Africa. (You can go visit, if you like!) One day, a ranger calls Lawrence and asks if he would take on a small herd of elephants. Lawrence has no experience with elephants but the ranger explains that these elephants are very angry because they have been hunted and that the local village officials are going to kill them because angry elephants are dangerous elephants. So, of course, Lawrence agrees and the elephants come to Thula Thula. Initially the elephants are still angry and break out of their enclosure. Then it is a race to see if Lawrence and his rangers will get to them before the hunters and poachers. With a lot of patience and compassion, Lawrence manages to forge a strong, enduring bond with the elephants.  In addition to the lovely story, Hadley Hooper's illustrations are extraordinary. Her color palette helps accentuate the mood of the story as it progresses.

I really hope this book makes it onto a lot of lists this year! It would be a perfect Bluebonnet nominee. 

 

 

Leslie Staub's book If I Were an Elephant was one of the books Penguin Random House sent me and it was true serendipity that I read it right after Tomsic's book!  These two books go together so well! Thanks Penguin Random House!

     

 

 PICTURE BOOK PALOOZA

I love picture books. And I have read a LOT of picture books over the past few months. But today - I received a box from with forty-two ARCs of picture books!!  So I wanted to publish this post which highlights a few of my recent favorites before I dive into this new batch of books.

Availability note -  Amos McGee Misses the Bus won't be published until November but the rest are available - hopefully at your local library.

Amos McGee Misses the Bus by Philip C. Stead; illustrated by Erin E. Stead; to be published November 2, 2021

I am so happy to see Amos again! And this story is so lovely. Amos has a special outing planned for his zoo friends but - he is so tired! He misses his bus and is afraid his outing will have to be canceled. Unbeknownst to Amos, everyone pitches into help - especially tortoise. Can you guess where they are going on their outing? Erin Stead's illustrations are, as always, amazing and Philip's story heartwarming and humorous. I can't wait to add this to my library! 

A big thank you to Macmillan for making a digital ARC available.

Grandma's Tiny House: A Counting Story! by JaNay Brown-Wood; illustrated by Priscilla Burris August 8th 2017

I loved this book! Maybe because I'm a grandma who loves having people over to eat? Maybe - but also because it's an engaging book that could be used for a Thanksgiving story time. It has lots of yummy food and it reinforces counting. Plus it's a little one that comes up with a solution to the over crowding problem. "I know!" she confidently tells her grandmother. The book could easily be adapted for a lot of different story times - problem-solving, food, and counting - to name a few. Plus the above-mentioned Thanksgiving.

Sheepish (Wolf Under Cover) by Helen Yoon; published January 12th 2021

I loved this! At first you think it's going to be the typical "wolf in sheep's clothing" tale. But our sheep friends are not so easily fooled! And wolf may not be so bad after all. 

Moose, Goose, and Mouse by Mordicai Gerstein and Jeff Mack;published January 12th 2021

A moose, a goose, and a mouse need a new house. One that isn't old and cold - they want a house that is sunny, funny, and comes with a bunny! And so this wild ride of a house-hunting adventure begins! Be sure to read the author's note -- Jeff Mack and Mordicai Gerstein worked on this book together, and sadly Mack had to finish it alone. It's a loving tribute to friendship and creativity!  

 Shy Willow by Cat Min; published February 16th 2021

Willow is a small rabbit that lives in an abandoned mailbox. She would much rather stay insider her mailbox - venturing out is always so worrisome. But one day, a young boy drops a letter into her mailbox - addressed to the moon. And Willow knows that she must deliver the letter to the moon - no matter how many obstacles are thrown in her way.

What a lovely, whimsical book! The illustrations are simply breathtaking and I truly loved Willow's determination to complete her mission. It was so rewarding in unexpected ways.

 Best Day Ever! by Marilyn Singer; illustrations by Leah Nixon; published June 29th 2021

I think we have all had days that start out as a great day but then quickly turn into a bad day - but end up in a good day frame of mind. That's what happens with the dog in this book. And his owner, also. Best Day Ever quickly turns to Worst Day Ever. But it doesn't have to stay that way.

Being a librarian, I know that there just are not that many book out there that have a main character in a wheelchair going through their daily routine. Getting up, getting dressed, going to the park, hanging out in the back yard, giving their dog a bath, and getting upset when the dog is a little too rambunctious. This book will fill a huge hole in both library and classroom collections.

In addition, the author explains that the events in the book were inspired by two of her own dogs. The illustrator, Leah Nixon, had a spinal cord injury which left her partially paralyzed. She uses a wheelchair and has a very helpful pet dog. She was happy she could use both herself and her dog as models for this book!