Me & Dog

August 15, 2014
The misplaced worship of man's best friend perturbs its young master. Sid loves Murphy and thinks he's just about the best dog in the world. Murphy loves Sid too, but Sid has noticed a disturbing fact about his pet. Murphy doesn't just love Sid-he worships him like a god. In rhyming verse Sid explains how Murphy will apologize when his owner is the one clearly at fault. He thinks Sid rewards his good behavior and punishes his bad with events (rain, a lovely day) that are clearly outside the boy's control. Saying he's not a supreme being (and maybe there isn't one at all), the boy wrestles with the canine's religious convictions. Picture books questioning the very existence of the Almighty are rarities. It may well be that large swaths of the population will miss the book's point, begging the question as to whether or not the children of atheists would embrace it at all. Additionally, an offhanded comment that refers to Murphy's prayers as "silly" will give some readers pause. Shansby's digital illustrations give a welcome, lighthearted feel to what might otherwise come off as too heavy a message. They march in step with Weingarten, though readers are left pondering the point of a conspicuous church that makes a cameo in the background of one page. A rare if not unwelcome agnostic rumination. (Picture book. 4-7)

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September 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-A story about a dog that thinks the world revolves around his boy. Not a particularly new subject, but one that is approached with verve and sparkles with spirit that young readers will understand and relate to. Sid, as he states, is just an ordinary kid that makes mistakes, but his dog, Murphy, thinks Sid is the "Supreme Almighty Ruler. Super-duper boss and king of absolutely everything." Digitally rendered and larger-than-life illustrations focus on how the young protagonist and his beloved pet interact and even how they interpret the world. While Weingarten attempts to explore the bigness of the world through Sid's eyes and displays a childlike wonder at life's small mysteries-and Sid's explanations of them-it is truly the core idea of a boy and his dog that win the day. Potentially arcane to those adults who choose to overthink it, this story may not be a first purchase, but its spirit and illustrations certainly make it a worthwhile addition. A winning example of fun and prose from an already established humor columnist, Me & Dog won't stay on the shelf for long.-Ashley Prior, Lincoln Public Library, RI

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