Boot & Shoe

Littermates Boot and Shoe do everything together and have a strict routine, which is captured by Johnny Heller's jaunty and clearly enunciated voice. Their regularly scheduled day, with Boot on the back porch and Shoe on the front porch, is turned topsy-turvy by the taunting of a neighborhood squirrel. Heller conveys the length and loneliness of their separation by elongating the vowels in "long, hungry evening" and "long, sleepless night." His tone is light and joyful but exhausted as Boot and Shoe are finally reunited. Music and sound effects would have added to the production. Still, children will certainly enjoy listening while reading along with the book. M.F.T. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 1, 2012
With restrained humor and an eye for homey detail, Frazee (The Boss Baby) introduces near-identical terriers who lead a life that is “exactly perfect for both of them.” They share a dish, a favorite tree, and a blue cushion, but part ways to sit in opposite lookouts: “Boot spends his days on the back porch, because he’s a back porch kind of dog. And Shoe spends his days on the front porch, because he’s a front porch kind of dog.” When a mischievous squirrel pesters them into a mad chase (by colloquially getting “all up in business”), the dogs accidentally switch positions. Frazee pictures them in silhouette on either end of a green cottage, each loyally standing guard and awaiting the other’s return; even when they circle their house, they walk counterclockwise and fail to meet: “It was a long, sleepless night.” Like Elisha Cooper’s recent Homer, this is an everyday dog story elevated to a thing of beauty by understated artwork and prose. Frazee’s hand-lettered type and the subtle differences between the well-groomed dogs add to the homespun,
local vibe. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

October 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 2-Puppy brothers Boot and Shoe live a quite life that suits them-Shoe on the front porch and Boot on the back porch. They eat and sleep together and pee together on the same little tree. One day a pesky squirrel happens by and begins to chatter, throw stuff, and just gets in their face. A wild chase ensues and, lo and behold, Boot ends up on the front porch and Shoe is on the back porch, each awaiting their sibling to appear. They spend a separate, sleepless night with no appetite for a lonely dinner. Finally at dawn, they both must pee and, happily, they meet at their favorite tree. After a gleeful reunion, they fall fast asleep-together. Frazee's warm and funny story (Beach Lane Bks., 2012) about sibling friendship is enhanced by her signature pencil-and-gouache illustrations and hand-lettered text. Johnny Heller's perfectly paced narration adds emphasis at just the right times, but the telling would have been even better with the addition of sound effects for the squirrel's chatter, wild chase, etc. Still, this is a fun choice for elementary schools.-Jane Newschwander, Fluvanna County Public Schools, VA

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