  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 05/01/2009 PreS-Gr 1— In spare poetic prose, an endearing dog of indeterminate breed declares to its young owner: "I am the keeper of the castle. This castle. And I will keep the castle safe." The "castle" is a cottage on the beach, and the tiny pup goes on to enumerate a variety of tasks, including guarding against monsters (spiders), halting an avalanche (of toys in the cupboard), diverting meteors (standing on the rooftop ready with a baseball bat), stopping "savage beasts" (pirate mice), calming the sea, etc. All of these fanciful and heroic exploits are delightfully depicted. The dog ends up by saying: "Why, you ask? Do you mean to say you don't know? Because you live here." Rendered in pencil and then digitally colored, the artwork set against soft pastel pages provides a perfect match for the whimsical text, and together they portray the love between the two friends beautifully. This book is a lovely read for a child on an adult's lap, where the pictures of the dog's expressions and antics can be fully appreciated and savored.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA - Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 08/01/2009 On the cover of this small, warm picture book, a child holds a puppy against her cheek, and their loving bond is the story told by the pet, who imagines how far he would go to protect the little girl. He starts off small, and the double-page artwork in pencil and soft colors shows him challenging a spider, dueling with squirrels, and barking at mice to keep the girl safe. Then the battles get mythic as he imagines himself climbing a ladder into the clouds to block lightning and diverting a meteor with a baseball bat. There are no grown-ups in the scenarios, just the child and her dear companion, and the scenes are filled with big threats that, on closer inspection, are suffused with coziness: the avalanche is a pile of toys that fall out of the closet, for example. Young preschoolers will recognize the physicality, the loyalty, and the powerful connection between animal and child. - Copyright 2009 Booklist. Loading...
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