Overview
Doris is the world's worst magician's assistant, so her boss, Marvo, finds a stray dog to replace her. Hocus-Pocus Hound turns out to be great at magic, and Marvo's act takes off, but he gets greedy, so Doris and Hocus Pocus hatch a plan to set him straight in this humorous slapstick comedy.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
Marvo, the magician, is ready to replace his assistant, Doris because she is inept at helping Marvo with the magic tricks. A smelly, mud-covered, stray dog that Marvo finds outside the theater is cleaned up and trained to become Marvo's new assistant. Amazingly, the dog learns the new tricks quickly. The magician happily names the dog, Hocus-Pocus Hound and uses the animal in his show. Doris, who befriends the dog, handles the magical props and costumes for the show. The trio seemed to be pleased. The dog has a home and Doris has a pet. Marvo has a capable assistant and his magic shows make money. Unfortunately, Marvo's greed gets the better of him. He plans to fire Doris and have Hocus-Pocus Hound assist with the magic and take on Doris' duties. Hocus-Pocus Hound is unhappy about Doris' departure and makes his own plans and tricks for the evening. The colorful cartoon-like illustrations and the simple, short chapters keep the story moving quickly for young readers. This book is a part of the "I Am Reading" series.School Library Journal
Gr 1–3
Marvo the magician takes out his frustration with mastering his latest trick on his bungling assistant, Doris, because she fidgets. He decides that the next person he sees will replace her and goes outside into the alley. The only one there is a dirty old dog. Marvo chooses him and leaves the cleaning and primping for Doris to do. Not only is the pooch caked with mud, but he also has bad breath and a gas problem. However, he turns out to be a great assistant. The act is successful, Marvo makes lots of money, and he fires Doris. Hocus-Pocus Hound exacts his revenge by doing a magic trick of his own. This amusing book will delight newly independent readers, who will cheer for Doris and Hocus-Pocus Hound as they put Marvo in his place. The illustrations are a good match for the text, adding lots of color, humor, and detail. More challenging vocabulary (e.g., "audience," "applause," "fidgeting") is repeated several times, providing good opportunities for practice, but the number of words on each page could be daunting for less-experienced readers, and may be most appropriate for fluent third graders.
—Mary HazeltonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.