Publishers Weekly Review
| These veteran collaborators don't stray from the tried-and-true recipe for their If You Give... series in this addition, a buoyant, circular story in which a canine's spiraling free association leads to a day's worth of outdoor activities. As usual, Bond's clean, action-filled pictures, set against white backdrops, imbue the title character with abundant personality as he skips and dances his way through the pages. After his young host gives him a donut, the dog requests apple juice-and then seconds. Since there isn't any left, he skateboards outside to pick apples to make juice. Tossing an apple to the boy "make[s] him think of baseball," so the two dabble in that sport, play pirates, have a water fight, and fly a kite, before the dog is again reminded of apple juice-and donuts. There's a definite boy slant to this story, which is a nice complement to the more girl-oriented installments in the series. Even readers whose dogs are less demanding than this one are likely to recognize his boundless energy in their own pets. Ages 3-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. |
School Library Journal Review
| PreS-K-If you give a dog a donut, he'll want some apple juice to go with it. So begins the now-familiar circular story that will end up in the same place as it started. This one takes a little time out in the middle for a baseball game between the dog and the boy. Then the story line meanders back to a thirsty dog that wants some apple juice and, no doubt, a donut to go with it. The illustrations, all outlined in black, are clean and colorful. There is a lot of white space in this one, as backgrounds are kept to a minimum. The formula is a hit with the preschool crowd, and this installment is sure to be as popular as the others.-Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| In this If You Give . . . series title, giving a dog a donut results in him asking for a glass of apple juice. But when he asks for more juice and there is none, he'll have to make his own. An apple reminds him of a baseball, which leads to a baseball game, and so begins a domino effect of associations until the whole story comes full circle. The peppy, simple narrative is read-aloud friendly, and the cheery cartoonish illustrations depict an animated brown-and-white dog and his indulgent boy companion. Kids will enjoy this entertaining entry in a popular series.--Rosenfeld, Shelle Copyright 2010 Booklist |
