  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2001 Kate wakes one summer morning ready to roll, crying, “Let’s get a pup!” as she bounces on her parents’ bed. Her extremely tolerant parents agree, and “with their breakfast uneaten, they dressed and left immediately” for the animal shelter. At the shelter they find “happy dogs, sad dogs, ‘take me’ dogs, and dogs who couldn’t care less. They saw smelly dogs, fat dogs, lean and mean dogs, chew-it-up-and-spit-it-out-at-you dogs, and dogs like walking nightmares. Then they saw . . . Dave.” Boisterous puppy Dave is everything they want so off they go, but on the way out they see Rosy. Rosy is old, but she “radiated ‘Good Intention’”; sadly realizing they can’t take them all, they leave her and go home. Not surprisingly, the next day they return to the shelter for Rosy, who provides the necessary grounded counterpoint to Dave’s wildly energetic puppyness. Graham (who peoples this tale with the same tolerant parents from Queenie, One of the Family, BCCB 2/98) is right on the mark with this affectionate look at pet-seeking, from his heart-grabbing opening lines (“The end of Kate’s bed was a lonely place. Tiger the cat no longer slept there. Tiger died last winter, so there were only Kate’s two feet to keep each other company”) to his light-filled line-and-watercolor depictions of Kate’s cheerily chaotic household. Both dogs and people have personality plus, and the story itself is an emotional grabber with a conclusion sure to evoke sighs of satisfaction. - Copyright 2001 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Booklist - 07/01/2001 *Starred Review* Let's get a pup, are words that strike fear in the hearts of some parents, but not the happy-go-lucky young parents in this book. When their little daughter wakes them up with her request, Mom asks, What, a brand-new one? and Dad jokes, With the wrapping still on? But even before finishing breakfast, they are off to the rescue center, where there are many, many dogs to choose from: sniffers and sleepers; scratchers and sleepers. After looking at smelly dogs, fat dogs, happy dogs, and sad dogs, they find Dave, a perky puppy with spots. He's the one, but on the way out they meet Rosy--old, gray, and broad as a table. Of course, they can't take every dog home, so they leave Rosy behind. That night, Dave is the perfect puppy addition to the household, but something is missing. Time to bring home Rosy. This is first-rate child's fare, with enough joy to bring smiles to kids' faces and a few touching moments to tug at their heartstrings. Graham's bright art is sometimes surprising but always on target. Here, Mom wears a nose ring, and Dad wears an earring, yet they are ideal parents for this tender family story. This is a book sure to make both listeners and readers feel warm and happy when they put it down. Pair it with Marc Simont's The Stray Dog BKL Ja 1 & 15 01 for a story hour with a delightful doggy theme. - Copyright 2001 Booklist. Loading...
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