Slippers lives in his own little house inside a bigger house. In his big house, Slippers has four people. Baby Edward walks around on all fours, just like Slippers. Laura lives in a place way up the stairs. Mommy puts food into Slippers' round bowl to feed his round tummy. Daddy takes Slippers on long walks and always finds the way home. Every night Slippers falls asleep happy because he has four people of his very own, and he loves every one of them. Written from a puppy's point of view and illustrated with cheerful pictures, this story is simple enough to engage toddlers and funny enough to amuse beginning readers.
Written from the puppy's point of view, Slippers the puppy loves each of the four people who share his home--Baby Edward who walks on all fours; Laura who lives in a place way up the stairs; Mommy who feeds Slippers; and Daddy who takes Slippers on long walks.Andrew Clements is the author of such popular novels as Frindle and Things Not Seen.
In Slippers at Home, Clements (Frindle) introduces the chubby hound hero of his new series and owners Mommy, Daddy, Laura and baby Edward-"four people of his very own, and he loves every one of them." Youngsters will quickly be won over by the gusto with which Slippers embraces his daily tasks-and his descriptions of them: "Two times a day, Mommy makes the round sounds. First there is the sound of the big round bowl. Then there is the sound of the nice round can." In Naptime for Slippers, the pooch really does want to take a nap, but the house is so alive with sounds, smells and other stimuli that the pup doesn't finally curl up until the last page. Of course, the canine's appeal is that he's also a kid surrogate, a role Clements addresses with moving empathy and unadorned lyricism. Here, the author describes the dog's nightly walk with Daddy in Slippers at Home: "The world outside the house is so big.... But no matter how far they go, Daddy always finds the way back home." Unfortunately, Bynum's (Altoona Baboona) watercolor-and-ink drawings lack a similar eloquence. Her sense of pacing is spot-on and she captures some standout moments (the postprandial pet stretched out on his pillow, stuffed and content). But Slippers does not quite live up to the personality suggested by the text, and the humans often look stilted. Ages 2-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
PreS-Gr 2-A humorous look at an endearing puppy and his daily routine. Slippers has a special relationship with each member of his family. He and baby Edward love to play pull-the-sock, to roll around on the floor, and to curl up for a nap together. The pooch follows his nose up to Laura's attic room where his chewing is not always appreciated but he is still treated kindly. Mommy carries Edward and Slippers in her laundry basket while Daddy takes him for long walks. When he goes to sleep at night, he is content because he "-has four people of his very own, and he loves every one of them." Clements infuses this charming dog's-eye view of life with great verbal images such as "the slippy-slidey kitchen" and "his waggy white tail." Each person's size is described in relation to the dog's stature. For example, "Daddy is so big that Slippers can almost hide in one of his boots." Bynum's soft pastel paintings alternate between pages covered with smaller images of Slippers in action and framed illustrations that can't quite contain the ebullient pup and his family. A couple of pictures of Slippers don't look quite right for how a dog's body works, but this does not detract from the fun. A lighthearted tale for young pet lovers.-Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Shopping Cart
