Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!
by Susan Meyers
Published 2005 by Harry N. Abrams

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0810958562

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Jacket Notes:

A companion to the bestselling "Everywhere Babies," this read-aloud is ideal for any young dog lover. Kids can point out their favorite pups and follow the journey of one particular pooch from newborn to proud parent of his own litter. Full color.

08/01/2005 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-K -"Here and there and everywhere, Puppies! Puppies! Puppies!" is the exuberant refrain repeated throughout this charming tribute to man's best friend. From "Puppies born with eyes shut tight," the lively, rhyming text follows them as they nurse and grow, open their eyes, and leave their litter mates to begin new lives with human families. The "messy, trouble-making puppies" do typical puppy things including chewing, making puddles, and digging. Eventually they learn obedience, "how to sit and stay, Getting treats when they obey." Some get clipped and shown, and in the end they all grow "Into dogs with things to do" such as "Chasing squirrels, herding sheep, guarding children while they sleep," and some of them become parents to the next generation. The delightful acrylic illustrations are warm and child friendly, yet specific enough to distinguish some of the breeds represented. The dynamic language and large format make this engaging picture book a wonderful selection to read aloud at storytimes as well as to share one-on-one.-Piper L. Nyman, formerly at Fairfield Civic Center Library, CA

Publisher's Marketing Text:

Companion to the best-selling "Everywhere Babies", also by Susan Meyers
Puppies big and puppies small

Jamie O'Rourke and the Pooka
by Tomie dePaola
Published 2000 by Putnam Publishing Group

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0399234675

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Jacket Notes:

Jamie O'Rourke's wife, Eileen, has left him alone for a week. All he has to do is clean the dishes and sweep the house. Of course, Jamie's the messiest man in Ireland as well as the laziest, but when a magical pooka comes to do all the housework, he figures he's also the luckiest.

But is Jamie's helpful pooka too good to last?

Beloved author and illustrator Tomie dePaola has written a delightful sequel to Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, with charming, lively paintings bringing to life the Irish countryside.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 01/17/2000

Lazy but lovable Jamie O'Rourke, last seen harvesting a spectacular spud in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, returns in this dandy original Irish folktale. When Jamie's wife goes to visit her sister for a few days, she leaves a well-stocked larder: "All you'll have to do," she tells him, "is the washin' up each night and give a quick swipe of the broom every now and then." Never one to do a lick of work, Jamie doesn't lift a finger, even when he and his cronies make a walloping mess. While Jamie sleeps, a mysterious donkey-like creature creeps in and quickly puts the place in tip-top shape. Jamie soon discovers the creature is a pooka, an animal spirit atoning for misdeeds in a past life. Thinking to spur on the pooka with an added incentive, Jamie gives him a present--but the pooka leaves the cottage forever, rewarded for its work. DePaola's jaunty storytelling pace and his snappy Irish phrases give this tale extra sparkle. A master of vibrant acrylics that brim with child appeal, dePaola evokes the rolling countryside and earthy settings of the Emerald Isle of yore. From cozy to rollicking to suspenseful, he changes mood and scene with ease. Jamie's high-spirited pals exhibit a liberal wearin' o' the green and an endless taste for cider, which may fall under stereotype in some minds, but is all in good fun here. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)

03/01/2000 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-Still no more energetic than in Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato (Putnam, 1992), the laziest man in Ireland has the perfect plan for keeping his cottage tidy while his wife is away-he'll simply stay in bed and get up only to eat. When his pals arrive with a jug of cider and hearty appetites, Jamie finds himself with a messy cottage and the exhausting prospect of cleaning up. During the night, a pooka comes and clears away all evidence of the evening's party. The donkeylike creature returns each night to tidy up. Curious, Jamie asks why he is being so kind. He explains that he is being punished for laziness in a past life. Jamie is moved to perform a kind deed in return, which he immediately regrets-the pooka is now free and the indolent man is left alone just in time for Eileen to return to the mess. In some scenes, dePaola's liquid acrylic paintings spill over their frames onto the white space surrounding them. Particularly frenzied activity, like the pooka's midnight house cleaning, is depicted in multiple frames that resemble a comic strip. The pooka, with his wild yellow eyes and toothy grimace, looks sinister enough to satisfy young readers who enjoy a scare, while Jamie's cat's and dog's facial expressions reflect their owner's changing moods. A concluding author's note explaining the story's origins in Irish folklore is a satisfying addition to an enjoyable original tale.-Ginny Gustin, Santa Monica Public Library, CA

Publisher's Marketing Text:

Jamie O'Rourke's wife has left him alone for a week. All he has to do is clean the dishes and sweep the house. Of course, Jamie's the messiest man in Ireland as well as the laziest, but when a magical Pooka comes to do all the housework, he figures he's also the luckiest. But sure enough Jamie's luck runs out when he gives the Pooka a warm overcoat as thanks, Jamie's kindness breaks the spell cast on the Pooka who no longer has to do housework, and off he runs-leaving Jamie with a very messy house, indeed!

Sometimes Its Turkey, Sometimes Its Feathers
by Lorna Balian
Published 2003 by Star Bright Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 1932065334

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Jacket Notes:

"Oh! What a fine Thanksgiving Dinner we'll have!" A wonderfully simple plan turns out to be more than Mrs. Gumm and kitty bargained for, making Thanksgiving dinner asurprise for everyone! Published in full color for the first time!

Publisher's Marketing Text:

"Oh! What a fine Thanksgiving Dinner we'll have!" A wonderfully simple plan turns out to be more than Mrs. Gumm and kitty bargained for, making Thanksgiving dinner asurprise for everyone! Published in full color for the first time!

Togo
by Robert J. Blake
Published 2002 by Philomel Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 0399233814

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Jacket Notes:

Togo wasn't meant to be a sled dog--he's too feisty and independent. But he and his trainer are determined, and soon Togo becomes one of the fastest sled dogs in history. Full color.

09/01/2002 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 5-Togo is a spirited puppy, determined to be a sled dog even though his owner, Leonhard Seppala, does not think he has what it takes. He's small for a Siberian husky, and much too independent. When he is only eight months old, he breaks through a fence and finds his owner's team on a supply run; it takes only a day for him to prove himself as a musher. Soon the young dog is leading his team in races, and breaking speed records every time. When Togo is eight years old, Seppala is asked to make an emergency relay run to pick up a serum that can stop the diphtheria epidemic threatening the entire population of Nome, AK. Togo leads his team over 350 miles through storms, suffering terribly, and with almost no rest. While it is another dog, Balto, that became famous for the serum run of 1925, he actually led the final team in the relay, running 53 miles. Many people feel that Togo is an unsung hero, and so will readers, who will feel the terrible cold depicted chillingly in Blake's paintings. The urgency and desperation come across clearly in both the dramatic text and the full-page impressionistic paintings. The dogs are not anthropomorphized, but their expressions are haunting. Pair this first-rate historical adventure with Natalie Standiford's The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (Random, 1989) or with Blake's Akiak: A Tale from the Iditarod (Philomel, 1997).-Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL

Publisher's Marketing Text:

Togo wasn't meant to be a sled dog. He was too feisty and independent to make a good team member, let alone a leader. But Togo is determined, and when his trainer, Leonhard Seppala, gives him a chance, he soon becomes one of the fastest sled dogs in history! His skills are put to the ultimate test, though, when Seppala and his team are called on to make the now-famous run across the frozen Arctic to deliver the serum that will save Alaska from a life-threatening outbreak of diphtheria.

In the style of Akiak, winner of the Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, along with five state awards, Robert J. Blake's detailed, carefully researched oil paintings complete the story of the adventure that inspired the internationally famous Iditarod race.