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.
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....
Details: Author/illustrator: Viviane Schwarz. Published by Walker Books 2014.
The story:
Three cats- Tiny, Moonpie & Andre, think there might be a dog in the book. From the cover pages, we can see that, a dog in their territory could be an emergency situation- just look at those panicked eyes!
Speaking directly to the reader , the cats ask that you help them to hide from the dreaded Dog …..although, Tiny is curious, he doesn’t know what a dog actually is…maybe Dog could be nice? Hiding behind the sofa, in the piano, in a suitcase (underneath book flaps) they ask that, you help keep them hidden -but how can we resist those flaps?!
Finally, the dog sniffs them out- initially there is cat panic- until the felines realize that, the dog is friendly. But, oops- Tiny mentions that the reader could cuddle the dog and he runs away scared. Oh dear-their friendship is only blossoming and those cats must find their doggy friend. After a page of numerous flaps-Dog is found, all is well and the author closes with ‘There are three cats and a dog in this book. They are all your friends.’
Why I Like This Book :
Hang on!
'Like it’ ??
I LOVE it!
This is such a FUN, interactive book! How refreshing to find a 'Lift the Flap’ book which is not a predictable game of peek-a-boo. This is 'Lift the Flap’ advanced style!
The story is entertaining with 3 endearing cat characters. They speak to the reader, with text in speech bubbles and in their panicky manner, ask that you the reader, do not reveal their hiding places. But, who can not look at a flap without opening it?! And these are not your average lift the flaps- each action (of flap lifting) changes the nature of the story, with both the front and rear of each flap adapting to the story line i.e the facial expressions of the cats may be different depending on which side of the flap falls onto the page….on one page, the lifting action results in the dog being touched by one of the cats.
While the cat characters interact with the reader and each other in text, the dog does not talk directly to the reader- however, he communicates through his facial expressions, sniffing , cute tail wagging and woofing.When we do see text bubbles above doggy, they are filled with stick-like drawings or symbols such as a love heart at the end. I like that there is a subtle difference here and this allows readers to make their own interpretations about the dog thoughts.
The illustrations are fun, bright, varied in texture and engaging- standing out well on the white background.
The flaps are of a card like quality, vary in size and will withstand plenty of flapping/lifting by the older child- but younger toddlers may be tempted to tear. I think a child of 3+ would enjoy this story and be able to manipulate the pages/flaps with care.
What the child can learn from this book:
This book will appeal to a child’s sense of humour. At the same time, it may give insight into emotions such as fear, panic, curiosity (Tiny doesn’t know what a dog is and asks lots of questions) relief, joy, excitement and togetherness. Children will also learn a little more about typical dog/cat relationships- and how assumptions and preconceived ideas about others can be limiting/untrue.
In short/less of the waffle:
This is a very cleverly designed interactive book with a comical story line, cute characters & fantastic illustrations. I Love it! See some video reviews below. Also, author Viviane Schwarz provides printable downloads and knitting patterns for Moonpie, Tine & Andre on her website.See link below.
Happy reading,
Missus B :)
Links Viviane Schwarz's 'Fun and Freebies' page here
The story of an adorably cute & mischievous puppy. Written by Megan Mc Donald Illustrated by Katherine Tillotson Atheneum Books for Young Readers (an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division) 2014 ISBN 978 1 4169 7932 6 Library copy reviewed
Inner Cover: Shoe Dog liked to chew. And chew and chew. Not a boring old bone. Not a squeaky old toy. Not a smelly old sock. Shoe Dog liked to chew.....Well, guess! And that's his trouble!
The Story: Shoe Dog is a young puppy who is rescued from the animal shelter by a lady who is known as 'She Herself' throughout the book. A mischievous little pup, he decides that bones and squeaky toys are boring, and there is nothing better than a good gnaw on a shoe. No matter where they are hidden, Shoe Dog will sniff them out. This gets him into trouble of course- he doesn't get any head pats or tummy rubs and he is left to sleep downstairs 'on the cold, cold floor with only a mop for a friend.' Several shoes later, at last Shoe Dog gets his very own 'Shoe Cat' slipper to play with, lick and slurp. Feeling content with his shoe slipper, he gets to sleep upstairs with his new owner and feel 'warm as soup, cozy as pie.'
What I think about this book: Give me the puppy! I want that puppy!
The illustrations in this book are superb!
Shoe Dog is utterly cute -a delightful puppy squiggle in charcoal crayon.
I admit that, part of my love for this character is because there is a close resemblance to my own little hairy friend.
Introducing Lizzie:
isn't she just delicious?!
The delightful Shoe Dog seems to boing and bounce across the pages in typical puppy fashion. The squiggly trail behind the puppy shows us how Shoe Dog zig zags, circles and bounces throughout the house in an energetic whizz.
The dog expressions are adorable and we get to see a range of emotions including excitement, disappointment and guilt -Shoe Dog knows that his antics are getting him into trouble! I can almost hear him groan and grumble when he has been sent to the 'Corner Rug' as punishment for devouring a lovely pair of red high heels.
No sleeping in the 'Cozy Covers in the Land of Upstairs' tonight!
The text is lively and fun and written in an almost verse style. It changes in size to bring emphasis and at times, speech bubbles are used. The story is written from the perspective of the puppy and the text gives us a view of the world though the puppy's eyes e.g. sleeping in 'the Land of Upstairs' with 'Cozy Covers' sitting on 'Comfy Chair' and sniffing under 'the Forest of Dresses' in the wardrobe. I love that this book is the story of a rescue dog. On the second page, we read about dog's wish for a home: Dog wanted a home. A real home A place full of hundreds of nose kisses, dozens of tummy rubs. A place as warm as soup and cozy as pie. And later, when Shoe Dog is in trouble we read Shoe Dog did not want to go back to the Land of Sad Puppies and Scratched-Up Cats and One-Eared Bunnies. No!
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91Mu1E7OfGL.jpg Sniffing here and there, Shoe Dog HAS to find those new shoes! At last, time for a good chew on the comfy chair. Missus B's Picture Book Reviews 'Shoe Dog'
Thankfully, Shoe Dog stays in his new home and as he curls up with his cute little cat slipper, he has that lovely 'warm as soup, cozy as pie' feeling. In short: Shoe Dog is an adorable, playful puppy. Longing to be rescued from the animal shelter, he is a flurry of excitement and puppy cuteness. But his love of a good shoe-chew gets him into trouble. After some scolding, Shoe Dog learns to refrain (a little) and finally, he gets to have his very own snuggly slipper. This is a sweet story with super cute illustrations. A Missus B favourite.
'Shoe Dog gave Shoe Cat a lick, lick, lick, then a slurp, then a great big, doggie slobber kiss.'
Missus B's Picture Book Reviews
'Shoe Dog'
Happy reading, Missus B Get the book at these affiliate links:
