DOGS ON THE BED
Do you let your dogs sleep on the bed, even though you swore you'd never let them up there, or someone made you promise not to? Come on, admit it. Even though those furry critters take up waaaay too much space, dig their feet into your ribs or lollop their big heads on your shins so you can't move, you just can't resist them. Neither can I.
After one particularly hazardous night when my two small spaniels just about pushed me off the bed with their stretching, I had to write them a little story/poem/song of love and annoyance. The result was a rhyming, rompy picture book called, DOGS ON THE BED, coming from Candlewick Press in Fall 2008, illustrated by the marvelous artist, Anne Wilsdorf.
I suspect the dog fanatics in your life will relate to this one!
School Library Journal (January 1, 2009)
BLUEMLE, Elizabeth. Dogs on the Bed. illus. by Anne Wilsdorf. unpaged. Candlewick. 2008. RTE $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-2608-2. LC number unavailable.
PreS-Gr 3—Even readers who don't share their bed with a half dozen dogs will love this charming story about a family and their unusual sleeping arrangements. As bedtime begins (appropriately after storytime) everyone—Mom, Dad, two kids, and six dogs—falls asleep in the same big bed. Throughout the night, the pets do what they do best: sleep sideways, bark at things no one else can hear, and whine to go out, and then in (and then out, and then in, etc.). In the end, they are rearranged into more manageable groupings, and finally canines and people alike get some much-needed sleep. The exuberant, rhyming text delights the ear as the hilarious illustrations engage the eye in this kid- and dog-friendly tale. Fun for sharing with a group or one-on-one.—Piper Nyman, Brookmeade Elementary School, Nashville, TN
Booklist (Saturday , November 15, 2008):
Preschool-G Dogs on the bed / Like logs on the bed / Bed hogs on the bed / These dogs, these dogs! A family's bedtime preparations are interrupted by their determined dogs, who won't stay off the bed and won't give up easily: they pout and they sigh, prowl and howl, whine to go outside and then want to come back in. Still, they also offer affection and comfort (As portable heat / They just cant be beat), and parents, kids, and pooches finally settle down to sleep snugly at last. The rousing rhymes and frequent refrains provide continuous, peppy entertainment, and the occasional altered rhythms will keep readers and listeners on their toes. The colorful, chaotic illustrations are filled with witty elements, especially the comically expressive dogs, crowded around kids and pillows for Mom's bedtime story. A humorous and affectionate ode to the frustrations and joys of having dogs as pets and part of the family. Pair this with John Lithgow's I Got Two Dogs (2008).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)
Kirkus Reviews
DOGS ON THE BED Author: Bluemle, Elizabeth
Review Date: SEPTEMBER 01, 2008 Publisher:Candlewick Pages: 32 Price (hardback): $$15.99 Publication Date: 10/1/2008 0:00:00 ISBN (hardback): 978-0-7636-2608-2 Category: CHILDREN'S
A cheery family with two young children and six dogs of varying breeds and sizes tries to bed down for the night in this comical story about cuddling up with canine companions. The rollicking, rhyming text uses some dandy rhymes (prowl, growl, howl) and invented words (rhyming "rodeo" and "heave-ho" with "to-and-fro-deo" and "pill-e-ow") as well as exuberant descriptions and details of the dogs' antics. After storytime, the whole family falls asleep in the parents' big bed, and as the night progresses, the dogs take up more and more room until the humans are squeezed out of bed and into the neighboring armchair. Reorganization produces better sleeping conditions for everyone, with four dogs sleeping with the parents, one dog in each child's bed and everyone asleep and happy by the final pages. Dog lovers will chuckle over the antics of the canines, each with a bouncy individual personality conveyed through Wilsdorf's characteristically energetic and amusing watercolor illustrations. Anyone who lets their dogs sleep on the bed will find this tale doggone funny. (Picture book. 3-7)