Review by Booklist Review
Ages 5^-8. This dog's-eye view of a day at the beach features short, single lines of text beneath big, very simple color woodcuts. As soon as she sees the suitcase, Sally (a black labrador) knows what's coming: a drive to the ferry, meetings with other dogs on the boat ride, games in the water, and exploratory ventures along the beach. Except for their color, Sally and her canine companions (a glimpse of hand or foot is the only evidence of humans here) are identical: big, thick-necked, serious-looking beasts with red collars. Huneck uses solid, evenly applied colors, with white lines to suggest the textures of waves and fur. The figures are posed and static and a moireeffect makes the waves seem to undulate in some scenes. Sally's comments sometimes sound stiff--" I am having so much fun, I am sorry when the sun sets . . . I cannot wait for tomorrow!" But her doggy take on the world will amuse young fans of Minerva Louise and Lisa Kopper's Daisy Knows Best (1999). --John Peters
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Understated humor infuses both the text and handsome woodcut prints in this painter and sculptor's debut children's book. Imparting a contemporary folk-art sensibility, Huneck's prints draw from a deep, sophisticated palette dominated by an appealing array of blues and greens. In short, staccato sentences, narrator Sally, a black Lab, chronicles her vacation to "an island in the ocean." Her dog's-eye commentary ranges from the mundane ("The sky is blue, and the sun is hot") to the droll (as when she observes, at the beach, that "the air smells great, just like cat food!"). Huneck knows how to juxtapose art and text for comic effect: on the ferry to the island, Sally cannot see the captain, "but I can imagine what he looks like"; the accompanying print shows a black Lab at a ship's wheel, wearing a sailor's cap and sunglasses. Later, the beachcombing dog is pictured with first a crab and then a starfish pinching her nose as she concedes, "I realize right away, I still have a lot to learn." Huneck slyly keeps Sally's human owner in the background, only revealing an appendage from time to time. Sally is front and center, and deservedly soÄshe's one endearing pooch. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Sally, a spirited black Labrador retriever, goes on her first vacation at the beach. After a brief description of getting to the island by car and ferry, she is shown enjoying the company of her canine friends, but also having a good time playing and exploring on her own. Young readers will understand her sadness when this wonderful day comes to an end. The playful pup's enjoyment is conveyed through a simple but engaging text and beautiful, full-page woodblock prints. Sally is introduced on the first page in a portraitlike pose, with a winsome expression that is sure to capture the hearts of even non-dog lovers. Though the illustrations are controlled, they are not at all static. The short white lines that define the animal's coat convey energy and tension, and the curving lines of the ocean waves add motion to the scenes. The intriguing endpapers invite a close study of the patterns formed by the dogs swimming to and from the book's gutters. The font created by the artist suits the art and text perfectly. The clear black letters are just the right size for emergent readers. A splendid book for group or individual sharing.-Virginia Golodetz, Children's Literature New England, Burlington, VT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In a brief, stilted text, a trip to the beach is described by a black Labrador retriever. The art expresses the dog's point of view well, showing a world mainly populated by other dogs, with humans only partially visible among the canine crowds, serving as drivers and meal providers. The large trim size suits the book's bold, simple woodcut prints. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
