Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This zany story starts with Doug coming home from school to find a huge package at his mailbox. It contains Otto the Amazing Rhyming Bird, who at first is a dream come true for his owner, as the pet squawks magic rhymes that make things appear. When Otto says, "Doug Mug," for example, suddenly Doug is holding a mug. After "Doug Pug," a new puppy appears-this is awesome! Things take a turn for the worrisome when Otto begins to transform the boy into different odd things, however-Doug never wanted to become a slug, a rug, or a bug. The next day-good riddance!-readers see the package waiting for Doug's hapless friend. Young children will find Thompson's rhyming text and the narrative enjoyable enough, but the computer-generated cartoon images are uninspired. VERDICT A so-so addition to the rhyming book arena; librarians should stick with others that they may already have on the shelves, like Kevin Lewis's My Truck Is Stuck or any Dr. Seuss titles.-Henrietta Verma, National Information Standards Organization, Baltimore © Copyright 2016. 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
Doug receives a mysterious package containing a rhyming bird and a warning, which he ignores. But the bird's rhymes cause magic...and trouble for Doug. While the digital illustrations are humorous, the magical changes are inconsistent (e.g., with "Doug pug," Doug gets a dog, but with "Doug slug," Doug becomes a slug). This concept book's random "Doug" rhymes provide little payoff at the end. (c) Copyright 2017. 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
An anonymous gift of a rhyming parrot sets off a precarious adventure for a young boy.Doug, a redheaded, freckle-faced white boy, and his friend, a black girl with pom-pom pigtails whos not seen again until the end of the book, notice a mysterious package by the mailbox. Out comes Otto, a deceptively cute, green parrot that speaks in rhymeto magical effect. DOUG HUG produces a warm embrace from Otto. DOUG MUG elicits a hot cup of cocoa. Then the rhymes become creepy as the magic begins to go awry. DOUG SLUG and DOUG BUG transform Doug, quite upset, into each creature, respectively. Pleas from Doug to change him back to a boy succeedwith complications: DOUG DUG. / DOUG RUG take him from an underground cave to a magic carpet ride above the city, finally culminating with the boy safely in bed DOUG SNUGBUGRUG. Thompsons digitally created cartoon drawings in bold colors are reminiscent of a comic strip, and the format mixes narrative with speech bubbles to extend the familiar idiom, using wordplay and a graduated larger font indicating urgency. Simple digital backgrounds give way to photographic panoramas as Doug soars over the city. The absurd humor and haphazard context for the rhyme pattern make this book less skillfully predictable and balanced as such offerings as Nancy Shaws Sheep series for emerging readers. A cache of better rhyming pattern books is available. (Picture book. 4-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
