Chocolate at the Four Seasons - Hardcover

Paraskevas, Betty

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316013757 ISBN 13: 9780316013758

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007

Synopsis

Follow the adorable antics of Chocolate, a real-life Chihuahua adopted by a Hollywood casting agent and producer and taken to live with her at the Four Seasons Hotel. This is the story of how that very dog captured the attention of everyone he met. Charming and sophisticated, with a cute factor that's off the charts, Chocolate at the Four Seasons introduces readers to a small dog with a big personality.

About this title

About the Author:

The mother-son team of BETTY and MICHAEL PARASKEVAS created and executive produced three animated television series, including "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast," and they have collaborated on 18 children's books. Additionally, Michael's illustrations have appeared in a number of major publications, and Betty and Michael continue to develop book and television ideas.

BONNIE TIMMERMANN has cast more than fifty feature films, over twenty Broadway and off-Broadway plays, and two television series. She has also been the producer of six films and a Broadway show.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 1—In this saccharine story, a Chihuahua that doesn't bark stays with his human's friend at the Four Seasons Hotel while his owner is away. Chocolate becomes a favorite there and ultimately finds his voice singing with a piano player. In the end, he goes home because "Papa needed him." The writing is cloying and condescending, and uses entirely too many explanations and adjectives. "The concierge—that's the person in charge of helping the guests—approached them. 'You precious little thing....'" Children may be confused by the lack of transition when Chocolate suddenly ends up in a car and appears at the hotel with apparently no interactions or good-byes from "Papa." The color illustrations, which have an impressionistic feel, give the humans an unattractive look, and the angles of some of the pictures, in their attempt to be from a dog's point of view, become uninviting. While the pup himself is quite appealing, mentions of a flamenco performance and a fashion show are unlikely to speak to a picture-book audience. With its minimal plot, adult sensibility, and patronizing writing, this uninspired offering misses the mark.—Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT
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About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0316013757
• ISBN 13: 9780316013758
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Paraskevas Mickey