PreS-Gr 2—A simple boy-and-his-dog story gets an artistic twist when both enjoy painting. The boy shows how his pup helps him complete his latest picture before he heads to school. While he's away, Louie, mad at being left alone, spends some time making what first seems to be a mess, but in the end turns out to be a brilliant painting (inspired by Cézanne's Still Life with Fruit Basket). Both the text and illustrations are true to the voice of an eight-year-old boy. The pictures on the wall, including a dragon and a clown, certainly look like the work of a child. The colors in the illustrations are perfectly suited to the story. The muted grays in some spreads serve to highlight the bright colors of the youngster's artwork. In one scene, as the boy is looking for his pet, the scene is in mostly gray and black with one bright multicolored rectangle showing a peek in at the studio. As the boy yells, "Louie, if you messed with my paints, you're going to the yard for a time-out!" readers see a contrite canine peering out of the studio door. By the end of the story, the boy realizes that his dog is a genius, too. Share this book as an introduction to art, or simply as a sweet dog story.—Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY
A boy shares his artistic vision with his dog Louie, an appreciative admirer who watches from the sidelines. But Louie has untapped talent of his own; one day he takes advantage of his owner's absence to explore his canine creative instincts. The illustrations reflect the explosion of color that comes with both artists' inventiveness.
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