Don't Call Me Choochie Pooh!

Text : Sean Taylor, Illustrations : Kate Hindley

First published by Walker Books Ltd 2016, reviewed edition published 2017.

Complimentary copy of book provided by Walker Books in exchange for an honest review.

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Back of Book: 

I might be little, but I'm not one of those silly, frizzly dogs you get.

I want to be  an ordinary, PROPER, puddle-jumping, stick-chasing dog!

And I DON'T want to be called CHOOCHIE POOH!

A hilarious story written from the perspective of a pampered pooch, 'Don't Call Me Choochie Pooh!" will appeal to children, adults & dog-lovers. This little terrier has had ENOUGH mollycoddling from her owner and just wants to be treated like all the other dogs.              

Doing 'proper dog things' like playing IT'S MY STICK! "Where the main rule is you have to growl as if you're really angry, even though you're not."

Lying on her posh puppy bed (with ALL the frills) she tells us she is NOT frizzly, fluffy or daft. The heart-shaped treats her owner gives her are embarrassing and being stuffed into a flowery hand-bag is just mortifying!!

She cringes at being called an "incy wincy cupcake" outside the supermarket and when her owner puckers up for a kiss, well, that just takes the (dog) biscuit!  

My owner called out, off we go OOPSIE BOOPSIE CHOOCHIE POOH!
I wanted to jump into a pit full of crocodiles.

Wonderfully illustrated, the pages are alive with colour and hilarious dog faces. Hindley's attention to detail will satisfy the beady eyed. Illustrated from a little dog's point of view, quirky details include the owners fluffy footwear, dog patterned clothing and dog-bone jewellery. The inner cover includes a collection of puppy portraits with this poor little pooch looking none too pleased in a variety of doggy outfits. 

A satisfying and funny read-aloud, Don't Call Me Choochie Pooh! will bring plenty of smirks and giggles....While 'Choochie' wishes her owner wouldn't baby her so much, by the end of the story, she discovers that there are plenty of other owners guilty of the same pandering....

                       See Sean Taylor read his book here:

                              

                                               

The Perfect Guest

Author & Illustrator: Paula Metcalf
Walker Books 2017
Free copy of book provided by Walker Books in exchange for an honest review.

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Back of book:
Walter has a guest!
His teeny-weeny squirrel friend, Pansy.
The thing is....Walter is really VERY neat and tidy.
And Pansy is really VERY accident-prone....

Walter the dog is one house proud hound. He loves his polka-dotty table cloth, his pretty garden, and his sparkly new tea-pot. 

When his squirrel friend Pansy phones to say she's coming to visit, Walter is excited, but soon discovers she’s a bit of a liability!

Oops! There goes the much loved tea-pot!

Pansy is a busy little guest: she bakes lemon-cake, but eats most of it herself, tucking into Walter's chocolates as well. She helps with the sewing & accidentally stitches Walter's trouser legs together. While the cake crumbs get vacuumed up, the tableware goes flying. The precious teapot gets a good scrubbing, but ends up in smithereens.  When Pansy offers to dust the ornaments, Walter decides that her energy would be better spent with watering the garden vegetables. What harm could she do out there?

Pansy has kindly made Walter a lovely new pair of trousers, in a perfect pattern that Walter loves.
But hang on! What's this trouser shaped hole in the bedroom curtains?! Oh dear!

Walter has underestimated his little squirrel friend though! Pandemonium follows Pansy wherever she goes & it’s not long before disaster strikes in the garden too.

While Walter is busy polishing & dusting indoors (in his frilly apron), Pansy has a bit of a dilemma outside. If only Walter looked out his window, he’d see the mayhem in the background!

It all ends well though, with one final blunder, bringing a delightful surprise. And so, Walter realizes that despite her clumsiness, his little Pansy is the most perfect guest after all.

A charming story about friendship, we see that Walter & Pansy have two different personalities. Walter likes to be organized, tidy, is a tad prissy and VERY house proud. He's also patient and forgiving. Pansy is enthusiastic, helpful, energetic, and resourceful. She's also a tad greedy and boy is she clumsy! Put these two together and we have a recipe for chaos, with plenty of giggles along the way.

With soft, warm illustrations, there are some quaint little details- like Walter's circular dial telephone, Pansy's sewing thimble/pin cushion and Walter's feather duster. Well, these are things that my little man certainly wouldn't recognize and nice little details to discuss! 

With it's comical characters, charming illustrations, and heart-warming story, 'The Perfect Guest' makes for a pleasant and funny read.