Loose Leashes - Hardcover

Schmidt, Amy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375856412 ISBN 13: 9780375856419

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 2009

Synopsis

Sixteen kid-friendly rhymes accompany funny photographic portraits of dogs in this delightful picture book. A salty dog s lament of traveling the world is perfectly captured in ballad form; a finicky Yorkie expresses her bathing preferences in common meter; while a Paul Bunyan-esque golden lab celebrates the outdoors in haiku form. This collection of canine poems and photos will enchant dog lovers of all ages.

About this title

About the Author

Amy Schmidt has been writing children’s poetry and short stories for several years.

Ron Schmidt studied photography in college and worked with several high fashion and celebrity photographers before opening his own studio.

Ron and Amy live in the Northeast with their two children, Rory and Tess, and their gigantic white dog. They enjoy spending time with their family and advocating for animal welfare and literacy causes.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 4—This brief collection pairs 16 simple poems with full-color photographs of dogs wearing clothes, hats, and glasses, and posed in various human activities such as driving a toy car or blowing a large pink chewing-gum bubble. The critters are cute, though some also look uncomfortable, such as the pooch posed shakily atop two pair of ice skates on a frozen pond. The poems are unmemorable, including the title selection: "My leash was loose,/So now I'm off/To see the world,/Out on my own./Down country roads/And city streets,/In my red car,/Free and alone./Armed with my map,/I'm going far-/Just need to learn to drive this car." An appended spread of "Furry Facts" elaborates on each featured canine's character, including favorite songs and pet peeves.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dogs do the darnedest things in this collection of poem and photo tributes. They turn the bathroom sink into a home spa (I Will Not Go to the Groomer), overcome fears (Learning to Swim) and take the great American road trip (the title poem). Ron Schmidt's photography won't make William Wegman nervous; he doesn't push his subjects much beyond cute anthropomorphizing (a greyhound wearing Harry Potter–style glasses perches atop a stack of books), although he does produce a couple of marvels: a Weimaraner with all four paws seemingly tricked out in ice skates poses alone on a frozen pond; and a pair of Labs rows a boat, oars gripped in their mouths. Amy Schmidt's poems are more notable for their variety than for their wit or use of language: the genres include free verse, limerick, rollicking ballad and even haiku: Out among the pines/ A laberjack spends his day./ Timber!/ A tree falls. Ages 3–8. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to dog photography: (1) action snapshots, complete with mud and drool, and (2) posed portraits, complete with concepts and props. The Schmidts take the latter approach in this handsomely shot collection of cute doggies placed into all kinds of goofy scenarios. You’ll find a corgi driving a car, a Weimaraner on ice skates, a pug wearing swimming goggles, and a bathing Lab with a rubber ducky on his head. The look and feel is one of a 12-month calendar, with some photos in bright colors, others in sepia tones or black and white. Each photograph is paired with rhyming text of varying lengths. Some of the attempts at humor fall flat, but much of it complements the pictures nicely (“I need a little privacy,  / Some quiet time to think. / So if you’ll kindly draw my bath, / I’ll soak here in the sink,” says a tiny Yorkie).  The “Furry Facts” in the back matter give insight into each pooch, though breed names are a glaring omission. Grades K-2. --Daniel Kraus

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0375856412
• ISBN 13: 9780375856419
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 40