Dogku

June 4, 2007
Clements (Lunch Money)
cleverly combines haiku and an endearing canine protagonist in this jaunty tale, written primarily from the pooch's perspective. After the friendly creature arrives on the doorstep of a family's home, the mother lets him inside and tends to his needs: “First food, then a bath./ The food was a lot more fun./ Still, it all feels good.” As the animal happily accepts scraps at the breakfast table, an important topic surfaces: “A dog needs a name./ Rags? Mutt? Pooch? No, not Rover./ Mooch. Yes, Mooch! Perfect.” The pup is bored when the kids go off to school and their mother is outdoors gardening, but Mooch soon finds a solution (“Chew on dirty socks./ Roll around in week-old trash./ Ahhh... that's much better”). Sitting in on a family meeting, Mooch mistakenly overhears the word “pound” and is fretful when the father drives off in his car. But the new pet is overjoyed when the man returns with propitious purchases: “A new doggy bed!/ Food, a bowl, a squeaky toy!/ Mooch has found his home.” Never forced, Clements's nimbly crafted verse flows freely and delivers ample humor. Bowers's animated oil paintings comically capture the playful pup's antics, revealing Mooch in the tub, eagerly shaking water and suds all over the mother; smiling while riding in the car, his head stuck out the window; and half submerged in the overturned garbage can. A spirited demonstration of the versatility—and fun—of haiku. Ages 4-8.

July 1, 2007
K-Gr 4-A stray dog's first day in a family's home is more or less a test of whether he'll get to stay. Of course, the innocent creature lives entirely in the moment, and the human perspective doesn't come into play until the end. Clements shadows the pup closely and maintains a canine's view of everythingfood, loving pals, bath time, sunshine, shade, the lure of garbage and household objects to chew, the loneliness of the school bus leaving, and the joy when it returns. The story is familiar but still entirely fresh due to Clements's original presentation. He tells the entire tale in haiku, a remarkably effective vehicle for delivering such a sweet and simple story. The family's deliberation over what to call the dog is captured perfectly with the form's structure: "A dog needs a name./Rags? Mutt? Pooch? No, not Rover./Mooch. Yes. Mooch! Perfect." While each haiku is typically spare, Bowers's vibrant illustrations are busy and bright, filling the pages with the same unbounded energy as the lovable pooch. This joyful tale is guaranteed to evoke storytime cheers."Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.