Best in Show (Max Spaniel Series #3)

From the Publisher

"Catrow's watercolor illustrations are exuberant and clever, full of humorous details that kids will love to discover." --School Library Journal

MAX SPANIEL: BEST IN SHOW won the Maryland Blue Crab Young Readers Award for the Beginning Fiction Category.

MAX SPANIEL: DINOSAUR HUNT was a Beginning Fiction Honor Book in the 2010 Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Awards.

Children's Literature - Nancy Garhan Attebury

The humor in this book is apparent when the first thing Max tells readers is that he is not a dog, even though he certainly looks like a dog! From there Max sets his own pace as he shows his best side in a diving contest where he dives for sunken treasure, a barking contest where he quacks like a duck, and a talent contest in which he makes creative shadow puppets. Max's antics and those of his fellow dogs keep the hilarity coming with each read of a line and flip of a page. In the end, all of the dogs in this book are "best of show" and all of them are happy. Readers will enjoy the humor in text and fanciful illustrations as well as the limited text that opens up the opportunity for them to be successful reading it alone. One read will not be enough since the colorful illustrations beg to be looked at again and again. The author/illustrator creates a simple tale that will make readers want to read more about Max. They will be able to do so since this is but one book in the "Max Spaniel" series. The book will fly off the shelf in preschool and primary grade classrooms. The subtle message is that all dogs (aka kids) can be successful and best at something if they just try it. Reviewer: Nancy Garhan Attebury

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1—The hilarity of the artwork makes this easy reader shine. Max is getting ready to compete in a talent show with other canines. Diving, searching for sunken treasure, barking, and even shadow puppets make the lineup of talent and tricks. The short, simple sentences, only one or two per page, and daffy drawings are a bouncy mix that will have new readers turning the pages.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI