Publishers Weekly
The third adventure starring the titular heroine, Oh My Gosh, Mrs. McNosh! by Sarah Weeks, illus. by Nadine Bernard Westcott, follows her through a series of surprises as she chases her runaway dog, including crashing a wedding party and disrupting a baseball game. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
School Library Journal
PreS-Youngsters who've had their silly pills will welcome back Mrs. McNosh for another round of slapstick humor. Her dog escapes from his leash during a walk through the park and, in rollicking rhyme, children read about her fruitless attempts to catch him. Fortunately, when Mrs. McNosh gives up the game, George takes himself home, goes in through the doggy door, and is waiting for his mistress when she returns. Westcott's cartoon artwork, done in cheerful, candy-colored pinks, yellows, and greens, uses every available space to draw out the story's laughs. Children will chuckle at the bug-eyed observers as Mrs. McNosh and her pup barrel through a lake, a baseball field, and even a wedding reception. George himself is an expressive hero, showing intensity, surprise, and sheer glee. With pictures to pore over, it's a perfect recipe for preschool fun.-Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
In the third installment of the Mrs. McNosh series (Mrs. McNosh and the Great Big Squash, 2000, etc.), the titular heroine encounters a series of surprises when her dog, George, chases a squirrel through the park. The action begins when George breaks free from his leash: "Her dog saw a squirrel and started to bark. / ‘Stop barking! Stop pulling!' said Nelly McNosh. / But George wouldn't listen, and so-." The refrain, "Oh, my gosh!" is introduced on the next page as Westcott's energetic watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations, crisply outlined in fine black pen, depict the trio dashing through the grass. When George chases the squirrel across a pond by jumping in a boat ("He dove and he wove right past Mrs. McNosh. / ‘I'll catch you!' Cried Nelly. But then-/ Oh, my gosh!") the phrase comes up again, prompting readers to predict the outcome. In this case, Mrs. McNosh does a belly flop and nabs not the dog but "a big trout" instead. Throughout, Westcott effectively conveys the mayhem through cause-and-effect scenes; certain details, such as the catastrophic close-ups of Mrs. McNosh and George's rear end peeking out from the corner of the page, communicate the futility of the frenetic chase. Having finally admitted defeat, Mrs. McNosh gets the biggest surprise of all when she heads home: George greets her at the door with her slippers in his mouth. "Oh, my gosh!" cries Mrs. McNosh. (Picture book. 3-6)
