The Trouble With Mister - Softcover

Keller, Debra

3.85

20 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0811823377 ISBN 13: 9780811823371

Publisher: Chronicle Books Llc, 1999

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Alex's parents think that having a dog as a pet is too much trouble, so Alex uses his imagination to find another way to have the dog he's always wanted. By the illustrator of Albert Goes to Town. Reprint.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From School Library Journal:

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Any child who wishes, begs, or aches for a pet will fall in love with Mister, a dog with "long purple hair" and "...bright yellow socks on all four paws." A young boy creates him with paint and paper after his pleas for a dog are rejected. Mister is perfect because he can go everywhere with Alex and sleep carefully folded under his pillow-until the night he comes to life. Their romp around the house is rather destructive, and Mister runs away to avoid more trouble. His owner misses him terribly, however, and a kind lady returns him folded in a brown envelope. Bright, bold watercolor and gouache illustrations splash across double-page spreads full of delightful details. McNeill's work is reminiscent of some of the cartoon illustrations in Harlan Quist publications, but has a friendly freshness all its own. The text is carefully crafted with an obvious love of the well-turned phrase and reads well aloud or alone. A treat for the eye, the ear, the imagination, and the heart.
Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma City
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Ages 4^-7. Alex wants a dog so much that when his mother asks what he'd like in his lunchbox, Alex answers, "A dog." But no dog is forthcoming until Alex draws a picture of the exact canine he wants: purple fur, one green eye, one blue eye, and yellow socks on all four paws. Alex is content to carry his picture dog he names Mister in his pocket, until one night Mister becomes real, causes havoc in the house, and then runs away. The weakest part of the book is the ending, in which a mystery caller says she has found Mister, and Mister returns in an envelope as the picture he originally was. The pictures are a delight all the way through. McNeill's work resembles the art of Lane Smith, though more colorful and less manic. Kids will have fun with this, especially the frisky Mister. Ilene Cooper

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