Synopsis
No sooner are these ten doggone dogs out the front door than they're into a hilarious antic misadventure: disrupting the prim pups at the Perfect Pooch Obedience School, raining chaos on the playground, and—oops!—making one, two, three, four, ten stinky doggie poops. But when our loveable pups get nabbed by the Super Duper Pooper Scooper Pet Patrol? Well, you'll just have to read it to find out what happens next. Karen Beaumont's swift, bouncy counting text and David Catrow's singular knack for creating mischievous, loveable, and delightfully ungainly dogs make this an exuberant and satisfying read-aloud. Kids of all ages are sure to have it on heavy rotation.
Children's Literature
We can count the rambunctious dogs from one to ten as they dash out of the house, heedless of their master's pleas and orders. The jolly rhymes seem to run along with the wild, assorted pooches through the gate to the park, followed by their frantic owner, leash in hand. As he repeats his commands to "SIT!" "LIE DOWN!" and "STAY!" "Doggone dogs do not obey. They turn and run the other way!" They create havoc in the park, past pond, playground, and trashcans. Then, "PEEEU-U-WWW!" there are scoops of poops to scoop. The dogs are soon mournful, locked up by the park's dog trainer. When the guard falls asleep, however, they break out and their exhausted owner can finally count them back inside. The canine crew is introduced on the front cover, in a handful of caricatures of various sizes and shapes, all set to go. On the back they are asleep in a heap, worn out from their mischief. They cavort in silhouette across the end pages. Pencil lines define their characters while watercolors add to each dog's individuality and the sites of their adventures. The wild actions overflow the double pages. The distraught owner and the bewildered guard are exaggerated comic characters whose ineffectual behaviors add to the frenetic fun. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz