Review by Booklist Review
This entry in the I Like to Read series showcases a trip to Grandma's house in which the action centers on the journey, not at the destination. Pete, a large, lop-eared dog, sets off with a birthday present for Grandma in his car, a golden-yellow roadster with headlights and a grille that suggest a smiling face. Pete exits the crowded highway and soon becomes hopelessly lost. The landscape changes with each boisterously colored double-page spread, moving from mountains to forest to jungle to seashore to Antarctica to the ocean itself and, finally, to Grandma's house. Pete always gets enthusiastic, if incorrect, directions from the indigenous animals, including a whale that carries dog and car on its back. This adventure's computer-generated, collage-like illustrations are packed with intriguing animals (especially the lizards and snakes that lounge on and around the car in the jungle) whose helpful natures keep Pete's predicament from getting too scary. Readers will want more of Garland's zany works, which include Last Night at the Zoo (2001) and How Many Mice? (2007).--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this offbeat I Like to Read title, a butterscotch-colored dog named Pete gets epically lost while driving to his grandmother's house for her birthday. After exiting the highway and finding himself atop a winding mountain road in the middle of nowhere, he asks directions to Mutt Street from a bird in the desert, a book-reading leopard in the jungle, and other animals ("That way" they all respond) in what begins to feel like an actual around-the-world journey. Garland pares the text down to the bare essentials while his sculptural illustrations give the story a surreal quality that is right in step with the quirky nature of Pete's globe-trotting voyage. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Pete, the anthropomorphized dog, is off on a car ride to visit Grandma for her birthday. Hoping to bypass the extremely congested roads, Pete takes a detour. Initially venturing toward what appears to be a major city, he finds himself lost on a mountaintop. Pete asks a local bear for assistance and is erroneously pointed away from Grandma's house. He is no closer to his destination and is forced to ask directions from a bird, big cat, walrus, and flock of penguins. Ultimately, a whale carries Pete and his car back to the city, where a police officer helps Pete find Grandma's house and he hand delivers her gift. The pencil and digital artwork is bright and colorful. VERDICT This slight story is an acceptable addition for larger collections.-Laura Hunter, Mount Laurel Library, NJ © Copyright 2015. 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
Dog Pete gets very lost en route to Grandma's house. He drives from desert to rainforest to the South Pole, asking for directions at each stop, until a whale ferries him and his car to the right place. Slick digital illustrations tell much of the story; simple, repetitive text ("That way") will keep beginning readers following Pete along his silly detour. (c) Copyright 2016. 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
A huge dog named Pete gets really lost on the way to Grandma's house for a birthday celebration. The story opens with Pete wrapping a box in flowered paper and making a birthday card. He sets off in his yellow car with the present, a bouquet of flowers, and his suitcase, on his way to Grandma's house on Mutt Street. But when Pete gets off the crowded freeway, he quickly gets lost and finds himself in a forest. He asks for directions, and a different animal answers on each spread, using a simple, repeated format that will easily be followed both by emergent readers and by toddlers just getting used to comprehending stories with a plot. The environments change with each new animal, taking Pete around the world on his journey to Grandma's; a whale finally gives Pete and his car a lift back to reality. A German shepherd police officer tells Pete he's already on Mutt Street, leading to a wordless final spread with Grandma opening her gift, a ribbon-wrapped bone. Digitally produced illustrations create a dreamy, imaginative world in which a bear can drive a car and a jaguar can read a book in a rain forest. A delightful story with wide appeal beyond the early-reader designation. (Early reader/picture book. 2-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
