  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 04/15/2013 Claude is a small, plump dog who wears a beret and a lovely red sweater. He has a best friend, Sir Bobblysock, a striped sock who is grubby and smells a bit like cheese. In the first episode in Smith’s debut chapter-book series, Claude shops for berets before inadvertently preventing a crime at an art museum. The second episode sees Sir Bobblysock feeling rather unwell. Claude roller-skates him to the hospital and, while Sir Bobblysock is wheeled away for tests, Claude pretends to be a doctor and solves a mystery illness. The tiny trim size and duo-tone artwork, all shades of black, gray, red, and pink, give this UK import a distinctly retro feel (it appears to be set in the 1960s), and Claude—mostly head and snout—is an amiable, unintentional hero. The sentence structure here varies, from short and declarative to more complex, and the stories are longer than in typical books for transitioning readers. It’s cool and hip-feeling and, at times, quite funny. Kids who dig quirky Claude will await his next adventures. - Copyright 2013 Booklist. School Library Journal - 07/01/2013 Gr 1–3—This transitional chapter book offers a wacky plot, silly humor, and an abundance of grayscale illustrations with red accents. Claude, a small, beret-wearing dog, lives with "Mr. and Mrs. Shinyshoes…[and] his best friend, Sir Bobblysock," an animated, striped sock. One day, the pup and his pal go to the city where they gaze at skyscrapers, walk through traffic, and shop. Claude purchases several berets, which are packed in a stack of boxes. After a visit to an art museum, the pair go to a café, where a woman who has stolen a sculpture is caught when she runs into Claude and his boxes, making him a hero. The next morning, Sir Bobblysock does not feel well, and after Claude takes his temperature with a banana, they go to the hospital and see Dr. Achinbum. In a case of mistaken identity, Claude is recruited to treat a group of female wrestlers stricken with a mysterious illness, curing them with "a nice cup of tea and a…cookie…." And Sir Bobblysock is as good as new after a small hole in his heel gets darned. Cartoonish line drawings feature retro clothing with impeccable tailoring, stylish embellishments, and tightly cinched waists.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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