Maw Books

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Here’s a hint for you.  Dogs on the Bed by Elizabeth Bluemle and llustrated by Anne Wilsdorf is the perfect book to read to children, when as a parent, you want them to side with you in your quest to convince the other parent that you’d like to own a dog.  They will begin to get dogs on the brain and relentlessly ask the apprehensive parent if they can get a dog.  When said parent turns to you for back-up, you shrug your shoulders and say, “I want a dog as much as the kids do.”  But whatever you do, do not let your other half actually read this book. Because it will further confirm to them, that indeed they do not want to own a dog.  Particularly if they sleep on the bed.

In Dogs on the Bed, a family tries to get a good nights sleep but their six dogs make the whole attempt a circus act.  When they are banished from the bed, they pout and sigh and make their way back on.  Despite a very rough night, it’s decided that their portable heat just can’t be beat.

My boys enjoyed this rambunctious, lively book and immediately started talking about getting a dog for ourselves.  My evil plan to convince husband that we want a dog is working!

Reading aloud, I did find some of the text to be a bit awkward to get around.

We’re folks on the floor
With legroom galore
But chilled to the core
Are folks, we folks.

I found that last line odd.

These dogs on the bed
Bring clogs on the bed
Chew slippers instead
Of Bones – these dogs.

This stanza was also odd to read-a-loud as the third line runs into the last line when I want to naturally pause at the word instead but then realize that there should be no pause.  The previous stanza does this was well, but most of the other lines in the book don’t do this.  So there was  a bit of awkwardness with trying to figure out the flow of the text.

A fun book. And if you soon find us a dog-owning family, you will know that my subliminal messaging with the kids to gang up together on my husband is working.

Links of interest:  Elizabeth Bluemle website.
Genre:  Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher:  Candlewick.  October 14, 2008
Hardcover, 32 pages.  ISBN 0763626082
Source: Review copy
Dogs on the Bed is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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