Little Dogs Say Rough!

Children learn what animals are really talking about in this entertaining book with humorous verses and illustrations.

PreSchool-K-Walton's wacky wordplay twists the typical noises associated with different animals to create rhyming phrases that describe their often unusual activities. From kissing snakes to hungry vultures, rough-and-tumble puppies to astronaut cows, these cartoon-style creatures will prompt giggles and grins from young listeners. "Little horses say,/'Nay! Nay!/You can't ride on us today!'" Still, some of the rhymes seem forced ("Little lambs say,/'Maaa! Maaa!/Mom, we want something to gnaw!"). Cole's comical illustrations, rendered in acrylic paints and colored pencils, add to the book's appeal. The animals' expressive faces are clearly the focus of the simply composed pictures. Humorous details like the flowered swim cap on a mother bird or the pink-and-blue blankets covering the sleepy snakes give the book a goofy charm. There's no real story to speak of, and the brevity of the text makes it a quick read, but this book is sure to be a storytime hit. Older listeners might even be inspired to adapt other noises to create their own ridiculous rhymes.
Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

What are baby animals really saying with the sounds they make? According to Walton (Once There Was a Bull Frog), "Little snakes say, "Kissss! Kissss!/ Kisss us on the cheek like thissss!" And cows are declaring "Moo-oon! Moo-oon!/ We would like to go there soon!" Cole's (Little Bo) double-page cartoons of the animal world brim with goofy charm: snakes sleep in trees with pillows and blankets, and cows float in space wearing planetary-themed sleeper pjs. But every time the book promises to take flight, the rhyming text drags it back down. While each vignette starts off with a roar of a comical conceit, it finishes with a whimper ("Moo-oon! Soon!/ Get them there by noon/ When the cows say, "Moo-oon!"). By the final page, readers may be ready for the animals to have some quiet time. Ages 4-8. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Walton (Bullfrog Pops!, 1999, etc.) works a series of rhymed changes on the idea that animal sounds are a kind of shorthand: "Little cows say, / 'Moo-oon! Moo-oon! / We would like to go there soon.' / Moo-oon! Soon! / Get them there by noon / When the cows say, 'Moo-oon!' Similarly for young horses, snakes, and other creatures, closing with chicks chirping, "Sheep! Sheep! Sheep!" to count themselves to sleep. This is made for reading aloud, and Cole (The Wacky Wedding, 1999, etc.) adds to the fun with scenes of expressive cartoon animals barking, braying, hissing, and mooing enthusiastically. Don't expect listeners to say, "Enough!" after just one run-through. (Picture book. 4-7) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.