Children's Book Review: 'Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg' by Lori Mortensen

Cowpoke Clyde and Dirty Dawg
by Lori Mortensen
illustrated by Michael Allen Austin
Clarion Books, 2013

Cowpoke Clyde is ready to relax after a long day on the ranch, when he notices that "ol' Dawg, his faithful, snorin' friend, [is] caked with mud from end to end." He fills his buckets to give Dawg a bath, but Dawg sets off on the run, creating mayhem as Clyde chases him across the ranch, splashing other animals along the way.

Michael Allen Austin's large, colorful illustrations perfectly capture the spirit of this story, portraying Clyde as a lanky, sharp-boned cowboy, and the animals as larger-than-life to emphasize the chaos that is created in the course of the chase.

Mortensen uses the time-honored folktale tradition of repetition and accumulation to convey the parade of animals that are "gettin' soaked instead of Dawg." The language is pleasingly rhythmic and peppered with the appropriate Western terms and details. And rhymes drop off with the final word in large print on the following page to encourage children to join in the telling of the story.

The first-grade students that I read this story to leaned forward in their seats as I read, and laughed aloud when the Dawg jumped into the tub with Clyde after he'd given up the chase. They loved the details in the illustrations (such as the cat, who on one page is chewing on a bone) and found the whole book to be funny and fun. This book is nearly perfect in style and execution: a rip-roaring read for children and adults alike.
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Lori Mortensen is the award-winning author of more than two dozen books for children, including fiction and nonfiction picture books, easy readers, first graphic novels, and middle grade nonfiction. She lives with her husband and three children in California and reckons that - unlike Clyde - she'll never complete her chores. You can visit Lori online at www.lorimortensen.com.

Michael Allen Austin is the creative director of a medical media company and the award-winning illustrator of ten books for children. He lives in Atlanta with his wife Kim, and their sheepdog, Riley, who - unlike Dawg - likes to roll in clean laundry. Michael's website is www.michaelallenaustin.com.
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Renée Vaillancourt McGrath has worked at Montana Public Radio as a program host since 2002. Her background is in librarianship and she currently works as a freelance editor, blogger, and website developer. Check out more of her book reviews at reneesreads.com.

Children's Book Review: 'Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?' by Eve Bunting

Have You Seen My New Blue Socks?
by Eve Bunting
illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
Clarion Books, 2013

In the tradition of Dr. Seuss comes Eve Bunting's latest book Have You Seen My New Blue Socks, illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. It is a testament to Bunting's skill as a writer and Ruzzier's engaging illustrations that this book firmly stands on its own two feet (no pun intended) in spite of its read-alike echoes:

     Duck has lost his new blue socks.
     Did he put them in his box?
     He knows he put them somewhere near.
                                                                              How could they simply disappear?

He asks the fox, and the ox if they've seen his socks. He looks for them on the rocks, and then approaches the peacocks, who reveal that duck is wearing his new socks.

Ruzzier sets the story against a muted pastel landscape reminiscent of the southwest and uses the occasional contrast of a white background to draw attention to Duck's expressions as he journeys through the book on his quest to find his lost socks. The indoor scenes are casual and messy, which gives the book a comfortable, lived-in feel.

The first-grade students that I read this story to enjoyed the repetition of sounds, the search for the socks, and the humor in the fact that Duck was wearing them all along (and that they appear to be a little too big for him). Fans of Dr. Seuss (and who isn't?) will enjoy seeing some of the familiar rhythms and rhymes of Fox in Socks presented in a fresh new way.

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Eve Bunting is the author of many beloved picture books. She was born in Ireland and lives in Pasadena, California

Sergio Ruzzier has illustrated numerous picture books, some of which he also wrote. Italian by birth, he lives in New York City. He became a member of the Maurice Sendak Fellowship in 2011. 

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Renée Vaillancourt McGrath has worked at Montana Public Radio as a program host since 2002. Her background is in librarianship and she currently works as a freelance editor, blogger, and website developer. Check out more of her book reviews at reneesreads.com.

Young Adult Book Review: 'Something to Hold' by Katherine Schlick Noe

Something to Hold by Katherine Schlick Noe

Clarion Books, 2011

Katherine Schlick Noe writes what she knows. Like Kitty, the protagonist of Something to Hold, Noe’s family lived at the Warm Springs Reservation in Central Oregon when she was a child, and she experienced many of the same things that Kitty does as a non-Indian student at a reservation school.

Kitty’s story rings true as she struggles to make friends with children whose culture is unfamiliar to her and is sometimes reviled by the outside community. Her family provides strong support, in spite of their frequent moves, due to her father’s job with the forest service.

Kitty provides a clear perspective on the racism and violence that occur both within the tribal school and in the larger community, and begins to question the injustices that she witnesses. This ingratiates her with some of the Indian students whose lives have been particularly difficult, but also puts her in danger from their abusers.

Noe does a good job of portraying the diversity within the Indian community at Warm Springs and paints a believable Northwestern landscape. The only flaw in the story is when two major crises occur on the same day and the children go from a police confrontation with a violent offender to being trapped in a Forest Service lookout during a major forest fire. This unlikely string of events leaves the reader wondering how the characters are able to emerge from the dual-trauma relatively unscathed.

Otherwise, Something to Hold presents a realistic picture of the complexities of life on an Indian Reservation in the Pacific Northwest, a perspective that is too often absent from most young adult literature.

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Katherine Schlick Noe moved across the country every four years as a child, living on Indian reservations in Washington and Oregon and near Washington, D.C. She teaches in the Master in Teaching program and directs the Literacy for Special Needs graduate program at Seattle University.

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Renée Vaillancourt McGrath has worked at Montana Public Radio as a program host since 2002. Her background is in librarianship and she currently works as a freelance editor, blogger, and website developer. Check out more of her book reviews at reneesreads.com.