The REAL front cover is a sunshiny yellow, but I cannot make my photo true to color. Please use your imagination to view ODD DOG OUT in brilliant yellow. My apologies!
THIS is closer to the true color. 🙂
Odd Dog Out
Written and illustrated by Rob Biddulph
Harper Collins Children’s Books, 2019
Oh, doggy lovers, this one is just too cute! Odd Dog Out will bring joy to your young readers and encourage them to be confident as they go through life marching to their own beat.
I received a copy of Odd Dog Out from Abigail at Wunderkind in exchange for a review.
What I love about Odd Dog Out:
~ The adorableness of the illustrations! You need to check out this book. There is only one type of dog-weiner dogs-and they are so cute. The bright colors on each page appeal to me as well. The odd dog out stands out from the crowd and is easy to identify.
~ The simple rhyming text perfectly tells the story and matches the illustrations.
~ The message of being comfortable in your own skin, marching to your own drum, and feeling confident in yourself rings through loud and clear.
~ The variety of doggies at the end, all uniquely expressing themselves, is a great ending (SORRY, spoiler alert!)
~ The appropriateness for young readers (4-8 years old, Preschool-3rd grade).
~ The clever wordplay.
This is one of my favorite spreads in ODD DOG OUT.
Amazon Blurb:
A heartwarming and poignant story from award-winning creator Rob Biddulph about the power of embracing your true colors. Perfect for fans of Peter Brown’s Tiger Goes Wild.
It’s a dog’s life in the big, busy city, but there’s one lonely pup who doesn’t quite fit in. She behaves differently from the rest, sports rainbow in a sea of gray, and marches to the beat of her own drum.
She’s one Odd Dog.
Join Odd Dog as she journeys to the other side of the world to find her place in it, only for her to discover that maybe she’s meant to be right where she started.
And check out Rob Biddulph’s other books for children, including:
I won a copy of Winter Cats by Janet Lawler from Writing and Illustrating, a blog by Kathy Temean, Janet Lawler, and Albert Whitman & Company. Thank you! I adore cats (and have one who believes she is queen of both indoor and outdoor realms).
There are so many new and wonderful books being released. I enjoy reading about them on a variety of blogs. Sometimes the blogs have giveaways. If one takes the time to read and comment about the new books, authors, or illustrators, your name is put into a hat. On good days, your name is pulled out. And TA-DA, a shiny new book appears in your mailbox! I love shiny new books in my mailbox.
I encourage you to support authors and illustrators by learning about their work and searching for their books at bookstores and libraries, two of my most favorite places to visit.
Why I love this book:
~ Cats! I love cats. I’ve nearly always had a cat or two in my life. Right now I have a cat who adores her daddy (not me). But that’s a different story.
~ Winter! Winter is a favorite season for me. The snow, the holidays, the expectant hope of new life in spring.
~ The story is told in rhyme. This is a lots of fun to read aloud to young readers.
~ The winter activities are the same ones we enjoy, but in Winter Cats, the cats enjoy them. Too adorable!
~ Indoor versus outdoor cats. I love both. This is a good problem for a main character to have. When our cats were forced to be indoor cats for a short time, there was no joy in our lives. They were monsters! I am glad Willy was able to sneak out and enjoy the outside.
~ I appreciate the nature activities and the characters getting outside. Nature is a very important theme to me.
~ Friendship is a main theme for Winter Cats. Willy makes new friends while he is outside. He invites them home to visit. These friends are responsible and clean up their mess. What great guests!
~ The colorful winter blue illustrations are perfect.
Amazon Blurb:
Willy’s an indoor cat who dreams of becoming an outdoor cat, but his parents tell him that indoor cats and outdoor cats are different. When he sees the outdoor cats having tons of wintery fun, he decides to sneak out and join in! Willy and his new outdoor friends soon learn that labels are meaningless in the face of friendship.
So if you love picture books, winter, cats, or rhyming, be sure to check out Winter Cats.
First, congratulations are in order to announce the winner of Baby’s First Nativity by Nomar Perez (Little Bee Books).
The winner is: Melissa!
Watch your mailbox, Melissa. I hope you enjoy this adorable Christmas board book. Merry Christmas!
And now, on to the book report.
All Colors
Written and illustrated by Amalia Hoffman
Schiffer Publishing, 2019
I won a copy of All Colors from Kathy Tremean’s blog Writing and Illustrating and Amalia Hoffman. You can read more about Amalia Hoffman here. Thank you to Kathy and Amalia!
Why I Love This Book:
~ The colors! I’ve seen colors represented in books many times, but usually the colors are introduced on a white background. It’s very interesting to see them on black.
~ The friendship theme (spoiler alert). We need books about being friends with others even if they are different than we are.
~ The board book. This is one durable book. Nice and sturdy for lots of use.
~ Kid-friendly. I read this one to my two youngest grands, and one immediately said, “Again!”
~ The art approach. I know this book can be used to help young readers feel confident in drawing pictures (instead of just coloring them). Each step is easy to replicate, no matter the age.
Amazon Blurb:
This board book introduces children to colors, textures, and parts of the body while conveying a message about friendship, celebrating diversity, and inclusion. As the reader turns the pages, colors are added one by one, creating the image of a boy. Different strokes and textures make up each body part, and at the end the boy joins his friends, all made of different combinations. All Colors shows that all people are made up of the same pieces, yet are all unique and full of color!
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great day!
Need a fun board book that teaches colors AND how to draw a simple person? Check out ALL COLORS by Amalia Hoffman. #boardbooks #picturebooks #kidlit
The date on the photo reads May 1966. But I’m positive I’m not 3-4 years old in this picture. I will guess I’m 2 or 2 1/2 because I can just see the crib in the bedroom. That means my baby brother has been or soon will be born. We are about 2 1/2 years apart. Sometimes it takes a year or three to remember to take the film for developing.
So. Already I love horses. This one is special because I am carrying it, instead of the other way around. I’m looking pretty strong, the way I’m hauling my ride. I have my rocking chair, my horse, and I’m dressed for (guessing) church. Pretty styling with my navy coat and white hat and socks.
Signs of the times include rabbit ears on the television, the television, dish used for cigarette ashtray on the side table, glass decor, and pale yellow walls. This house was a rental as far as I know. During the early years, my dad was transferred quite a bit for his job, so moving was a part of our lifestyle.
What signs of the times do you remember seeing in old photographs from the year you were born?
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Love, Laughter, and Life 