What do you get when you combine one energetic, enthusiastic little boy with his sleepy but tolerant dog? Unconditional love.
Using simple words and spare illustrations, My Dog Is the Best celebrates the special bond that exists between a young child and a beloved family pet. It's the heartwarming story of two best friends. . . told by a boy with a very active imagination.
CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI)
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My Dog Is the Best by Laurie Ann Thompson, illustrated by Paul Schmid Book Trailer
What do you get when you combine one energetic, enthusiastic little boy with his sleepy but tolerant dog? Unconditional love.
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“A round-headed toddler describes all the qualities that make his roly-poly dog the best, from playing dead and playing tug to blowing bubbles and reading books. The simple illustrations tell a different story, however, as the dog is just trying to sleep...
The simplicity of both the words and the pictures creates a charming, toddler-sized ode to man's best friend.” —Booklist
“The simple text and clear youth of the human narrator puts this squarely in the wheelhouse of preschoolers, while the humorous irony could draw emerging readers willing to decode the low-contrast taupe type. Schmid’s illustrations evince their familiar softness—thick, cottony penciled lines create the figures, and gentle touches of pale digital color...add interest to them as they float on creamy backgrounds. Decoding the art provides audiences with additional amusement—when the narrator says the dog “plays ball,” the pup is curled up into a ball; when he “helps the firemen,” a toy firetruck is perched on his sleeping body. Audiences will love being in on the joke, and they’ll leap to tell anti-heroic tales of their own pets.” —BCCB
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Laurie Ann Thompson
Paul Schmid
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