First Dog - Hardcover

Lewis, J. Patrick; Zappitello, Beth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1585364673 ISBN 13: 9781585364671

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press, 2009

Synopsis

Once upon a time a dog was looking for a home. Not just any home -- the perfect home, to be exact. So he decides to travel the world, visiting different countries and seeing how other dogs live. On his travels Dog meets a Newfoundland in Newfoundland, an English bulldog in England, a poodle in Paris, and many other different kinds of dogs. And he learns about what they do and how they live. But sadly, none of these places are what Dog has in mind. Can Dog find the perfect home? YES, HE CAN!! Savvy readers may have already guessed where Dog's perfect home is located but everyone, young and old, can't help but smile at the happy ending to his journey.J. Patrick Lewis lives in Westerville, Ohio, and is the author of 60 books for children. He writes full-time, visits elementary schools, and speaks at literature conferences. First Dog is his first book with his daughter, Beth Zappitello. Beth has a marketing company and lives in Portland, Oregon. Early in his career Tim Bowers worked for Hallmark Cards, helping to launch the Shoebox Greetings card line. He has illustrated more than 25 children's books, garnering such awards as the Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best" list. Tim lives in Granville, Ohio.

About this title

About the Authors

J. Patrick Lewis is the author of 60 books for children, 50 of them in poetry. He is also the coauthor of three terrific children and four delightful grandchildren. He writes full-time, makes 30 elementary school visits a year, and keynotes at literature conferences. First Dog is his first book with his daughter Beth. Pat, or Grandpat, as his grandkids call him, is married and lives in Westerville, Ohio. 

After growing up in Ohio and exploring the world, Beth Zappitello now calls Portland, Oregon home. She lives there with her two boys, Ajax and Hopper, her husband, Zap, and their wise and worldly English Bulldog, Cuba. Her professional career has been spent mostly in retail and marketing, and now she has her own company. While Beth enjoys some of her free time reading children's books with her boys, First Dog is the first one she has cowritten.

Even at a young age, Tim Bowers's artwork reflected a strong sense of humor and an interest in animals. Prior to illustrating children's books, Tim worked as an artist for Hallmark Cards, where he helped launch the popular Shoebox Greetings card line. His first children's book, The Toy Circus, was published in 1986. He now has illustrated more than 25 children's books and garnered various awards including the Chicago Public Library's "Best of the Best" list and several Junior Library Guild selections. Tim's artwork has been included in the Society of Illustrators Annual Art Exhibition and the S.I. Humor Exhibition, as well as featured in children's magazines, used on a wide variety of products, and appeared on hundreds of greeting cards. Original paintings from several books are in private and institutional collections across the country. Tim lives with his family in Granville, Ohio, and travels to schools and libraries to share his work with students.

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2—In this story that encourages animal adoption, a Portuguese water dog wanders the world in search of the perfect place to live. The stray encounters 10 fellow canines along the way, including a Newfoundland and Russian wolfhound in their homelands, a Shar-Pei at the Great Wall, and a dingo in Australia. None of their habitats suit him. Returning to his old neighborhood, the pooch reads a newspaper headline, "First Family Looks for Dog." He squeezes through the wrought iron gate and trots to the White House entrance, where he sits in front of an open door exposing two pairs of legs. A single line of text reads, "Daddy, Daddy, can we keep him?" The authors slam-dunk the story with an emphatic, "Yes, we can!" A view of the dog sprawled asleep on the Oval Office carpet follows. Bowers's realistic yet comic illustrations blend rich vistas with charming poses and great facial expressions. The endpapers give facts about each breed the pup met along the way. Curiously, a Portuguese water dog is not included. Lewis and his daughter dedicate their book to those in the rescue community and offer ways to help these organizations. This makes one willing to give the authors license and overlook the fact that the Obama dog did not come from a shelter.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
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Edition details

• Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1585364673
• ISBN 13: 9781585364671
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Bowers Tim
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32