  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2016 In this illustrated story told in four acts, Lucy is a small white stray dog who roams the town with a fixed routine and who dreams of the days when she was somebody’s beloved pet. Young Eleanor Wische feeds Lucy by dangling treats on a string out the window, and she’d like to adopt Lucy. Meanwhile, Eleanor’s father works hard at the grocery store while longing to making his juggling talent into a vaudeville career, but whenever he goes onstage and sees the audience, his skills fail him. There’s an early cinema flavor to this period charmer that eventually grants the wishes of the Wisches (and their new dog); each page could almost be a captioned silent movie scene as the tightly structured and neatly intertwined plot unfurls. The art, a series of circular monochromatic vignettes, employs Cecil’s familiar softly drawn colored pencil and narrow-limbed humans; Lucy (apparently modeled on the author’s own pup) is, like the humans, minimally drawn and seen at a middle distance, so the visual emphasis is on her perky exploits rather than any heart-tugging facial expressions. The carefully repetitive text will also make this an engaging readaloud, but be sure to keep your audience close to see the show unfold in the art. DS - Copyright 2016 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Booklist - 08/01/2016 Each morning, a small stray dog emerges from the alley where she sleeps and quickly scampers across town for breakfast. And each morning, from a second-story window, Eleanor lowers a bit of sausage on a string for the dog who always visits, just as her father begins his daily juggling practice in the living room. But evenings bring loneliness for the dog, who cannot remember her lost family, and paralyzing stage fright for Eleanor’s father, booed off the stage yet again. Told in four acts, the days begin the same but small variations nudge these characters closer together until fate intervenes. The gentle tone and whimsical prose are enticing, and the message is unmistakable: homes and families can and should be made. The softly textured black-and-white paintings radiate quietness, and everyone goes about their day with a solitary kindness that resonates throughout the story. The circular shape of the illustrations mimic a telescopic view, creating focused, intimate doorways into the story. Beautifully subtle in execution, this one begs for multiple readings. - Copyright 2016 Booklist. School Library Journal - 10/01/2016 PreS-Gr 2—As the sun comes up in the town of Bloomville, a small dog awakens from her alley crate; a young girl hugs her father as he leaves the house, but first puts a sausage in her pocket; and the girl's father places juggling balls in his pocket as he makes his way to an unsatisfying job. How these three lives intersect is told in three acts brought to life in rounded, textured, monochromatic images placed on white pages. The composition of each page enhances the illusion of theater, focusing readers' eyes on the action, which takes place center stage (actually, center page). The homeless dog comes to be named Lucy and is befriended and adopted by the girl, Eleanor. Lucy goes on to accidentally help the girl's father gain confidence as a juggler and begin a new chapter. The action, and even a bit of each character's backstory, unfolds in a visual narrative that is accompanied by engaging though brief text. VERDICT This quiet, satisfying tale with its old-fashioned setting is sure to enthrall readers of many ages as they reexamine the detailed illustrations. Best for one-on-one and small group sharing.—Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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