The great Gracie chase

Cynthia Rylant

Book - 2001

A cumulative tale about a small dog named Gracie whose quiet life is disrupted by some noisy painters.

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Location Call Number   Status
Children's Room jE/Rylant Due Apr 6, 2024
Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New York : Blue Sky Press/Scholastic 2001.
Language
English
Main Author
Cynthia Rylant (-)
Other Authors
Mark Teague (illustrator)
Physical Description
unpaged : ill
ISBN
9780590100410
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Ages 3^-6. Gracie Rose is a very good dog. She's also a very quiet dog--until noisy house painters invade her home. She barks (very politely) to tell them to go away, but in a complete miscarriage of justice, she's put outside. She's so angry she decides to break the rules and take a walk by herself. When she's discovered missing, a madcap chase involving half the neighborhood begins, ending when Gracie walks back home--all by herself. The illustrations have a round, comfortable, slightly off-kilter feel, and Gracie's facial expressions are humorous and telling. Children will like the idea of presenting the story from the dog's point of view, and older ones, as well as adults, will appreciate the more absurd aspects of the tale: when the fish that lives at Gracie's house seems lonely, Gracie sings to it. --Marta Segal

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 1-This simple story is a delight. Gracie Rose, a little round dog, lives with a cat, a bigger dog, and a goldfish. This charming canine loves peace and quiet and is always well behaved, until the day the noisy painters arrive. When she barks in annoyance, she's the one put outside and once there, she takes a walk all by herself. A comic chase ensues and soon a diverse group of animals and townspeople are tailing after Gracie across the entire town. The pursuers finally halt when their energy runs out and the perky pup returns home to relish the quiet again. In the hands of Rylant and Teague, this basic event has charm, humor, and joy. The full-page illustrations incorporate the text and convey a droll situation with `50s-style acrylic cartoonlike characters and background. A runaway success for storyhour.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY (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

When noisy painters disturb Gracie's normally quiet household, the little dog goes for a walk all by herself. Her family, the painters, and everyone else in town try to stop her. So begins the Great Gracie Chase, up the hill, across the schoolyard, and through the fountain. Rylant's storyteller voice and Teague's solid illustrations create a funny tale of the dog's quest for quiet. From HORN BOOK Fall 2001, (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.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Gracie Rose, a charming brown-and-white puppy, loves a quiet house. She loves the kitty sleeping quietly on the windowsill. She sings to the fish when it’s lonely. She helps the bigger dog watch the house. For Gracie, the best home is a quiet one. But one day, the painters who come to paint her kitchen destroy the quiet. Not only are they noisy, but they put her out of the house when she barks at them. Gracie, who has always been a good dog, runs through an open gate and takes off. The whole town runs after her, gathering much as do the folks in "The Gingerbread Boy." Only when everyone, including the painters, drops from exhaustion can Gracie return to her home and find peace and quiet. Unfortunately for Gracie Rose, the reader knows that the dreaded painters will come again. Rylant's story seems deceptively simple, but its prose is beautifully phrased, conversational in tone, and easy to read. Teague outdoes himself here; his oversized drawings are equal partners to Rylant's words. They create narrative, movement, and fun on every page; Gracie often seems ready to leap from the page, as she becomes bigger than life. The small town is an idealized place where a multiethnic community comes together good-humoredly to protect a fellow creature. Humans and animals express a variety of emotions, but Gracie's face and body language as the painter puts her outside take the cake. The strong storyline in text and illustration makes this a fine read-aloud. Gracie Rose deserves a series! (Picture book. 4-7)

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.