Strange And Wonderful Tale Of Robert Mcdoodle: The Boy Who Wanted To Be A Dog - Hardcover

Bauer, Steven

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689806191 ISBN 13: 9780689806193

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1999

Synopsis

Young Robert McDoodle thinks that his parents plan to give him a new shirt for his sixth birthday, so he decides to go to obedience school to learn how to be a dog

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 1-3-As Robert's sixth birthday approaches, he discovers that his parents are planning to give him clothes for a present. Coupled with the knowledge that this September he'll have to start school, the little boy decides to follow his dreams: he wants to be "the World's First Human Pup." A local dog tells him about the Jellicoe Obedience School run by a large German shepherd. After a year of learning doggie etiquette, the finer points of digging, drinking from the toilet, and territory marking, Robert changes his mind. Surprise-his furry classmates throw him a party, his parents attend and give him a puppy for his seventh birthday, and everyone lives happily ever after. With the appeal of transformation, rhyming texts that tantalize the ear, and quality illustrations, it's hard to go wrong. Sneed's wonderful watercolors expand the text with warmth and wit. The picture of Robert (aka Spot) contemplating a toilet bowl guarantees audience appeal. Bauer's poetic flare is undeniable. Perhaps one could quibble with Spot's difficulty in marking territory standing on one leg-certainly he had better options, but let the kids figure that out. A long but entertaining read-aloud that's sure to generate lots of thought and as much discussion as any parent, teacher, or librarian can handle.
Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

The Strange And Wonderful Tale Of Robert McDoodle (32 pp.; $16.00; Sept.1; 0-689-80619-1): When he enrolls in the Jellicoe School for Dogs, soon-to-be-six Robert McDoodle is dismayed to discover that being a dog involves more than just bones and naps. In spirited rhyming text, Robert (now ``Spot'') and his canine classmates trot at breakneck speed through a day filled with lessons in sniffing, panting, nipping, snapping, and more. Sneed's comical illustrations show Robert and pals from a dog's- eye-view, gazing longingly at a squirrel high in a tree, enthusiastically marking their territory, and lapping water from a toilet. Few children have not wished for a dog's life, and Bauer's ballad delivers that wish fulfilled, with all its disadvantages exposed for comic effect. (Picture book. 5-9) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0689806191
• ISBN 13: 9780689806193
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Sneed Brad