Review by Booklist Review
With its retro look and uncomplicated subject matter, Murray's appealing picture-book debut harks back or should it be barks back? to an earlier era of children's books. Starring a dog that looks like a distant relative of Snoopy as well as a piping-hot apple pie, the book is told from a point of view to which young children may easily relate: the hungry animal. The dog starts out napping but is soon fully engaged in sampling the pie his young owner has baked. The story proceeds alphabetically with very few words. apple pie. bake it. cool it. dish it out. eager for it. find a crumb of it, and so on, all corresponding to red block-print letters and illustrations that favor foreground over details. Eventually, after a few tugs of the tablecloth by our dog-protagonist, we ge. whoops!. exit quickly, an. yum yum. His young owner is more indulgent than some others might be: she watches him sleep ( zzzzzzzzz ) as he dreams of the pie he stole.--Nolan, Abb. Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A long-eared dog-with a passing resemblance to early versions of Snoopy-longs for his young owner's irresistible apple pie in this ABC book. Red and white letters, reminiscent of toy wood blocks, appear on each page, as the girl happily "bake[s] it," then "dish[es] it out." The expressive hound goes from being "eager for it," to "have to get a lick of it," which results in a gentle scolding before the "quietly determined" puppy devises a scheme for getting his pie. The grainy, retro-style artwork gives the book a deliciously vintage feel, and readers will be glad that perseverance (and pie!) win out over manners. Ages 2-6. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Murray cleverly uses the alphabet to tell the story of a puppy that yearns for a taste of a girl's homemade apple pie. Big, bold, uppercase letters introduce each phrase: "apple pie/bake it/cool it/dish it out.." The young canine, with expressive eyebrows over simple black dots for eyes, is determined to get at least a little lick of the pie. The large-font text coupled with just a few words will have preschoolers telling the story themselves after a reading or two. The matte texture of the paper and the suggestion of linoleum prints of block letters are reminiscent of books from the 1950s.There are numerous blue accents on pages that are printed primarily in shades of red, orange, and yellow. Endpapers reinforce the alphabet motif. This book has broad appeal.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA (c) Copyright 2011. 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
A freshly baked apple pie that sets off a series of alphabetical responses will likely call to mind the classic rhyme, most famously illustrated by Kate Greenaway. But Murray breathes new life into the old idea with unexpected action words and an original underlying story of a dog driven to bad behavior by a strong pastry craving. The sprightly black-and-white dog tries everything to get his pigtailed girl to give him a bite of pie, until his howling as he "pines for it" finally drives her away, leaving the dog "quietly determined," and able to reach the pie himself in time for "yum yum" and "zzzzzz." Printed on thick cream-colored paper stock with a limited palette of blues, reds, and yellows, the monochromatic illustrations resemble the linocut prints that were so prevalent in picture books in the first part of the last century. Bold uppercase alphabet letters anchor each page, also contributing to the classic look of the book. But the story itself feels completely contemporary, maybe because the miscreant is ultimately rewarded, and the only lesson he's learned is that pie tastes good. Unless you count learning the alphabet. kathleen t. horning (c) Copyright 2011. 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.
