Let's Get a Pup! Said Kate

Rating:
Summary: Let's Get this Book!
Review: My grandson and I adore this humorously poignant story of love between humans and canines. It makes me laugh, but I also get a little teary. The illustrations are just plain wonderful--endearingly chunky parents with tattoos and nose rings. I love it!

Rating:
Summary: Bought one for the school library
Review: The book of Generation X parents. Where else are you going to locate a loving family story that contains a nose-pierced tattooed mom and a earring sporting side-burn shaved pop? Maybe there are plenty out there, but how many are good? Author/illustrator Bob Graham has penned a touching tale of a girl's wish for a dog of her own.

Kate hasn't had a pet since her cat died. Enthused one morning she leaps into her parents' bedroom proclaiming the need to get a pup tout suite. Her parents, a grungy amiable crew, agree immediately and it's off to the nearest pet shelter. Once there, they immediately locate a cute lively puppy that meets all their needs. But on the way out a big old dog named Rosie captures their hearts as well and it is with a sad heart that they leave without her. By the end, however, everything has worked out for the best and now the two dog family can get back to normal.

This is just a great book. Apart from the enthusiastic and enjoyable illustrations, there's a real sense of "home" to this story. This is one of those rare picture books where you feel you could really walk into this house and feel it was a real place. There's clutter and mess, but nothing more than you'd find in your average house with a kid. The dad makes lame jokes, the mom wears burkes and has the odd pantyhoe sticking out of her dresser drawer. And Kate, the kid, is just your usual ragamuffin urchin, hankering for a pet or two to sleep with her at night. I don't know why, but I really felt this story took place in Seattle too. Something about the people and the views of the town from their front door. And the story's just great. It's all about loving dogs regardless of age. About making a home out of different kinds of people and creatures. It's a book about family in the best of ways.

Here's the last two sentences in the book:

"It seems like Dave and Rosy have always been there. Their weight is comfortable and reliable, and will stop Kate's bed from floating away into the night".

When it comes down to it, "Let's Get a Pup!, Said Kate" is just a joy to read. Those parents who are uncomfortable with families that are a little different will undoubtedly dislike this book. For anyone with an open mind and a big heart, this is a wonderful tale.

Rating:
Summary: "Let's read that book", said your kids
Review: The book of Generation X parents. Where else are you going to locate a loving family story that contains a nose-pierced tattooed mom and a earring sporting side-burn shaved pop? Maybe there are plenty out there, but how many are good? Author/illustrator Bob Graham has penned a touching tale of a girl's wish for a dog of her own.

Kate hasn't had a pet since her cat died. Enthused one morning she leaps into her parents' bedroom proclaiming the need to get a pup tout suite. Her parents, a grungy amiable crew, agree immediately and it's off to the nearest pet shelter. Once there, they immediately locate a cute lively puppy that meets all their needs. But on the way out a big old dog named Rosie captures their hearts as well and it is with a sad heart that they leave without her. By the end, however, everything has worked out for the best and now the two dog family can get back to normal.

This is just a great book. Apart from the enthusiastic and enjoyable illustrations, there's a real sense of "home" to this story. This is one of those rare picture books where you feel you could really walk into this house and feel it was a real place. There's clutter and mess, but nothing more than you'd find in your average house with a kid. The dad makes lame jokes, the mom wears burkes and has the odd pantyhoe sticking out of her dresser drawer. And Kate, the kid, is just your usual ragamuffin urchin, hankering for a pet or two to sleep with her at night. I don't know why, but I really felt this story took place in Seattle too. Something about the people and the views of the town from their front door. And the story's just great. It's all about loving dogs regardless of age. About making a home out of different kinds of people and creatures. It's a book about family in the best of ways.

Here's the last two sentences in the book:

"It seems like Dave and Rosy have always been there. Their weight is comfortable and reliable, and will stop Kate's bed from floating away into the night".

When it comes down to it, "Let's Get a Pup!, Said Kate" is just a joy to read. Those parents who are uncomfortable with families that are a little different will undoubtedly dislike this book. For anyone with an open mind and a big heart, this is a wonderful tale.

Rating:
Summary: A strong message
Review: The image on the dad's shirt is NOT a cigarette (in fact, the mom sports an anti-smoking t-shirt in one illustration), it is a match which changes form in accordance with his feelings/state-of-mind. It is lit when he goes to the shelter to adopt a pup; the flame is extinguished when he leaves poor Rosie behind in her cage; and then it changes into a lit lightbulb ("eureka!")when he returns to rescue Rosie.

As for the young couple having tattoos and piercings--this fits in perfectly with the book's theme, which is that we should appreciate beings for who they are on the inside, rather than judge them for what they look like on the outside.

This is a beautiful book that has won a slew of awards and special mentions. Highly recommended as a means of teaching empathy and acceptance.

Rating:
Summary: "Let's Get a Pup!" said Kate.
Review: The little girl Kate's story begins when she notices an empty place in her home that was once filled by a beloved pet. She jumps out of bed, races into her parent's room announcing, "Let's get a pup!" Her parents begin listing those puppy qualities they seek in a new family member. It must be small, cute, get all excited and run around in circles. They go to the pound and find just the pup in Dave, but they also notice Rosy who is big, old, and slow but cozy. They leave without Rosy but that's not the end of the story. Clearly Bob Graham has great affection for dogs because he renders their ability to fill empty places in our homes and hearts both in his watercolor and ink illustrations and in the characters of Kate and her parents.
For children from three to six.

Rating:
Summary: Bought one for the school library
Review: This book was great on so many levels. First, EVERYONE in our home liked it: we are ages 65, 40, 35, 10, and 5! The details in the pictures drew us all in. Secondly, the story is filled with love - parents for their child, a child for her pets, the parents for the plight of homeless animals, and more. Thirdly, the family looked like lots of parents I see at my kids' schools these days. That's why I bought one for the school library. It must be nice for kids to see parents in books that actually look like their own. Fourthly, it showed the family relaxing while watching TV together. I am pretty anti-TV, but this book unapologetically illustrated the truth that people do watch TV, and at least this family was viewing together and looked relaxed and happy. Fifth, the book has lots of humor. (PS. I agree that the Dad's t-shirts reflect his emotions for the most part, but what's the deal with the soccer shirt that shows an awful lot of grass? And I think the Mother might have had birth control pills in the bedside drawer, but that's a good thing! Anyway, I really liked this book.)

Rating:
Summary: Dog lovers, take notice! This one is for you!
Review: This is a wonderful book for everyone -- parents, kids, dog lovers, humane society volunteers. And that picture? Look carefully -- I think you will see it is a match, not a cigarette.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read in a loooong time!
Review: This wonderful book won the 2002 Boston Globe - Horn Book picture book award and for good reason. Brimming with love and appeal, this charming story will tug at your heartstrings and remind you of how pets adopt us as much as we adopt them, and how they return with gratitude the love and comfort that we give them.

Here is a *real* family, with children's drawings taped up around the house and the occasional sock hanging out of a drawer. The love and caring that the family members feel for each other is palpable. As for the dad's shirts, they often reflect his mood: the shirt bearing the image of a lit match changes to an extinguished one when the family wistfully leaves the shelter without Rosy. And when the family hits upon a new idea, the dad's shirt shows a lit bulb. As for messages, in one scene, the mother is wearing a shirt with the familiar "No Smoking" image of a red line through an encircled cigarette. Bob Graham is a warm, sincere and caring man (and father) who would *never* send unhealthy messages in his work.