Summary
Dad pretends to be human, but the kids know otherwise. Between first-thing-in-the morning scratching, fetching the paper, snacking, lying around for hours, and even the occasional pit stop behind a tree, the evidence is clear. But so are their father's steadfast love and loyalty. Aren't those the best things about dads and dogs alike? Elizabeth Bluemle's amusing, affectionate text and Randy Cecil's delightful illustrations create the ultimate tribute to proud papas everywhere--an irresistible story readers will beg for again and again. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.
Publishers Weekly Review
My father pretends to be human, but I know he is really a dog," begins bookseller Bluemle's appealingly flippant debut. Backing up her assertion, the girl narrator explains that, like her dog, her father fetches the newspaper, likes to ride in the car with the breeze on his face, and "growls when you startle him out of a nap." A couple of manners-bending comparisons will elicit snickers from kids, as parent and pooch (discreetly) use a tree "for a quick pit stop" and the two sit on the couch looking deceptively nonchalant as the youngster notes, "When he toots, he looks around the room like someone else did it." Depicting these human and canine characters in various parallel positions, the art comically captures the similarities between man and pet. Cecil (And Here's to You!) nicely alters the pacing with oval-shaped illustrations that give way to full-bleed spreads (e.g., for "If you throw a ball, he'll chase after it," Dad and dog cover the backyard to make a catch), and his textured brushstrokes work effectively as blades of grass or as fibers on the couch. A final comment, which the girl makes while patting her father's head at bedtime, ends the book on a note at once sweet and sassy: "My father is loyal and thinks we're the best family in the world... which is good, 'cause Mom says we can keep him." Young dog lovers will lap this up. Ages 4-7. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc.
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