Charlie and the New Baby

September 1, 2014

K-Gr 2-Charlie the Ranch Dog is concerned. His family has brought a calf inside the house. He knows that "Mama and the kids" will give the calf lots of tender loving care, but when he feels they have forgotten to attend to his needs, he ends his day dreaming about "a time when a dog could lie on his own bed. A time when a dog could get a bath and a belly rub from time to time. A time before this silly ol' calf ever showed up." Charlie's quiet tolerance is rewarded by morning, though. He receives a thank-you lick on the head from the reinvigorated calf. Charlie's enviousness is easy to understand when looking at deGroat's realistic illustrations. His longing for attention is reflected in his facial features and body language. The watercolor-over-digital-art paintings make readers feel at home. Drummond includes a child-friendly recipe for Egg-in-a-Hole at the back of the book.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Ranch dog Charlie returns, and there's a new calf on the scene. Naturally, Charlie feels displaced: his food is delayed, the calf sleeps in his bed, etc. Illustrator deGroat does a decent job of capturing ranch life in realistic-seeming detail, but Charlie's shtick ("I haven't eaten in a long, long time. At least an hour!") is only fur deep. A gratuitous "Egg-in-a-hole" recipe is appended.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)