Language Arts

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Based on Jules Feiffer's hilarious book (HarperCollins, 1999), this video tells the tale of a puppy, George, who has a speech problem. His mother is trying to teach him to bark, but instead he makes the sounds of different animals-a cat, a duck, a pig, a cow. This is very disconcerting for his mother (and a real knee-slapper for young viewers). The vet, however, solves the problem. He puts on a latex glove, reaches deep inside George's mouth, and pulls out all the offending animals! The problem is solved or is it? This delightfully absurd ALA Notable book has always been a winner with the very young. In this adaptation, Feiffer's bright and funny illustrations have been animated, and original background music has been added. John Lithgow supplies the narration, providing voices for George's mother and the vet, as well as George's animal sounds. Put it all together and you have a short video that will delight young audiences, and fit in nicely with animal or pet units.-Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.