Can I Be Good? - Hardcover

Taylor, Livingston; Taylor, Maggie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 015200436X ISBN 13: 9780152004361

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1993

Synopsis

A rhythmic text from a popular author-songwriter and striking full-color illustrations combine to present a warmly humorous portrait of a day in the life of a fun-loving and extremely curious golden retriever.

About this title

About the Author

The late TED RAND was the esteemed illustrator of many picture books, including Eve Bunting's Secret Place and The Memory String.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2-A rhyming story about a fully grown, high-spirited golden retriever who has trouble behaving. Anyone who has ever raised an overgrown puppy will recognize this canine at once. He howls to go out at 5:45 A.M., comes in wet and shakes water all over his family, and rattles his food dish loudly on the floor when he's hungry. Throughout the simple text is the repeated refrain that this unruly pet asks himself, "Can I be good now?" The answer is obviously "No," until he settles on his favorite rug to be petted and hugged at day's end. "Finally it's time to be good." The rhyme rolls along in a likable, unforced way for the most part. There is no real narrative tension here. What makes the book work are Rand's illustrations rendered in watercolor, chalk, and pencil. In his brisk, assured style, he has caught this fractious dog's every mood-playfulness, boredom, shame, and remorse-and also depicts him on the move. There are hundreds of dog stories, and this one is not as involving as Lisa Campbell Ernst's Ginger Jumps (Bradbury, 1989) or as funny as Susan Meddaugh's Martha Speaks (Houghton, 1992). Still, you might make room for this endearing, exuberant pup that is unlikely to be a shelf-sitter.
Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Children will see themselves in the gleeful activities of a golden retriever who finds that "it's awfully hard to be good." Throughout the day, obedience is uppermost in his mind, but there is always something to lure him from the straight and narrow: the yard beckons in the dawn light, mud puddles are too much fun to resist, the school bus is filled with friends to visit. At every turn goodness eludes him and, while he is never really a bad dog (except for chewing dad's new shoes), he is certainly a bundle of trouble. Only when fatigue descends does he achieve his goal: "And I'm all bedded down / On my favorite rug. / Finally it's time to be good." Songwriter Taylor's rhyming prose snaps along merrily, upbeat in tempo yet tinged with wry melancholy that reflects the naughty dog's exasperation. Dreamy watercolors in soft shades capture the suburban setting while drawing attention to the canine flurry of movement constantly at the center. Rand endows his lovable protagonist with facial expressions that tug at the heartstrings and, from the smiles of family and neighbors, it is obvious that this not-quite-good-as-gold-en retriever's exuberance is not held against him. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 015200436X
• ISBN 13: 9780152004361
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Rand Ted
• Number of pages: 32