Sniffing Out Good Books - My First Bookstore Adventure

Hi!

     Yesterday was a busy day for my family and me! My humans took me to Burlington, MA to check out a sale at something called "The Used Book Superstore." After an ear-flapping car ride, Allison and Rachel followed me into a pet store to do some shopping while Mama Suz and Daddy went ahead to scout out some good reads. I wasn't allowed inside the bookstore, you see (a silly rule), but I found a new squeaky duck and explored the local park.

Lots to sniff around the Burlington Common!

      Then I went for a walk after giving Allison directions on what to look for in the bookstore.

Here are three of our favorite finds:  

Puppy Victoriana, a small board book (less destructible, so good for human pups who are teething like me). It features pretty old-fashioned pictures of dogs and a few lines of old-fashioned doggerel in between. "Doggie scampers when I call,/And has a heart to love us all." Exciting for dog lovers of all ages, really! Simple, but unique. *There is also a Kitty Victoriana in print for any human with the patience for those evasive felines (the cat next door STILL won't play with me! GrrRuff!).  

Scruffy's Museum Adventure by Claudia Logan, illustrated by Jozeph Zaremba. This story's plucky canine adventurer is like me: a bit scruffy and full of curious mischief. I listened happily to the tale of Scruffy's race through Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Most of the story depends on the illustrations of the paintings and the other strange things Scruffy finds - and also on his comments about each discovery. One of his favorites? A statue of a three-headed dog named Ceberus. (My question is, does he have three tails to wag too?) When the humans in charge of the museum finally catch Scruffy, his family decides on a compromise to keep Scruffy learning about art (you'll have to read to find out!). All and all, a  brief but good dog's eye-view of the MFA for elementary level human-pups and their families. 

Someday, Allison says, she'll take me to Boston to explore, even if I can't actually go into the museum. Maybe I'll sneak in like Scruffy...? I can't wait! YIP! 

The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama. I was a little unsure when I saw the cover of this book. Allison explained that the green winged creature was a dragon. I cocked my head. What's a dragon?

"Well," Allison said, "It's a big flying lizard with the temperament of a kitty and the ability to breathe fire."

I rolled over and whined. Was this going to be a scary book then? But Allison scratched me behind my ears and began to read. "On Monday I asked my mother if I could have a dog..."

As it turns out, the dragon is part of a little boy's smart plan to convince his mama to let him have a dog. Dogs may be messy (hey, everyone makes mistakes) and loud (sometimes I get very excited, yipping and attacking things like cardboard boxes and soda bottles), but they're not as bad as a dragon who eats spaghetti in the bathtub! Once again, a doggy saves the day at the end of this story. Allison especially likes the illustrations, which she calls "retro" and full of bright colors (oranges and greens and yellows, she says)  and the details. This book had my tail wagging, so I'm sure human-pups ages 4-8ish will love it too!

     After all that excitement, I'm ready for a nice calm day. Maybe a bit of snoozing on the big cushy pillow in Allison's room.   

 After all, my humans bought a whole box of books yesterday; I'm going to need lots of energy to keep reading!!!

Yours in book hunts,

Sam I Am

Of Human Pups and New Friends

Hi!

     Bow-WOW! Another tongue-lolling day outside! I just got back from a walk around the neighborhood with Allison, but now I think it's time to relax a bit. I've been thinking a lot about human-pups lately; I think they call them "babies." Every Friday morning my humans get up early to greet a human-pup called "Jacob-Baby," and everybody runs around calling his name. 

Here's Jacob.

       Well, when I first met Jacob I wasn't too sure about him. I was afraid my humans wouldn't remember me with the human pup in the house!  

I was even littler than I am now, and I stuck close to Allison at first.

      Once I got my courage up, I decided to show this new person I wanted to play. So I jumped up and up and up and licked his face. Then he started to yell, and I didn't understand.    

    

"You can't jump on Jacob," Rachel and Allison told me. "He's just a baby; you're scaring him!"

     

     This made me kind of sad. Why wouldn't he play with me? For awhile I stayed with Allison while Suz and Rachel played with Jacob. The Friday after that, my humans took Jacob and me to the park with the animals. I sniffed around and chased bugs, and Jacob went to go say hi to the emus (They smelled like yummy chicken to me, but Allison told me that I couldn't eat them.).

     Anyway, this past Friday Jacob came over, and my humans decided we could both play outside. Jacob made funny roaring noises at the big trucks across the street. I galloped back and forth hunting for squirrels. Then a wonderful thing happened! Allison sat down on the porch steps, and both Jacob and I wandered over to sit down next to her. I gave him a tentative lick, and to my delight, he gave me a snuggle and let me give him kisses! 

    "SCHNAUZAH!" he said. "Funny SamIAm!"

My humans think it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

      To help me understand better about babies, Allison read me a book called McDuff and the Baby by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Susan Jeffers. It's about a little white dog (reminds me of my Westie dad!) who has a wonderful life with his humans - until a baby shows up and changes everything! The baby keeps everyone so busy that they don't have as much time for McDuff. Eventually McDuff's humans realize that McDuff feels sad and start doing things as a family.

     The ending shows McDuff and the baby starting to become friends - in a way that will make most little readers laugh. This Rosemary Wells human has written a great story about a tough life change and the bonds between family members. Making a change, meeting someone new, and sharing can be pretty hard. But making a new friend is worth it!

    Allison says that Susan Jeffers' illustrations are her favorite part of the book. She especially likes the page that shows McDuff's squinty-eyed glare at the happy, uncaring baby. McDuff is a lovable, fiesty canine character as depicted, and what Allison calls the "period" details (the radio, the humans' clothing, the cars, and even the wallpaper/furniture patterns) make the book interesting for parents as well as human-pups from babyhood on. 

    All in all, I liked McDuff and the Baby and give it two paws up. Allison told me we can read more of the McDuff books, like McDuff Moves In, McDuff Saves the Day, and McDuff Comes Home (and more!). Clearly this author is an animal lover (Allison says she also writes the Max bunny books), so I am a fan! RUFF!

  Rosemary Wells with a real-life McDuff dog!

     Well, I'm off to do some serious napping. Weather like this demands a cozy snooze under a kitchen chair. What can I say? All this learning makes a pup want to snuggle up!

                                                        Yours in babies & snuggles,

                                                                                 Sam I Am

Green Eggs and Sam (That's me!)

Hi everybody!

     Things have been pretty ruff today; I'm not used to it being so HOT! Allison says that we're moving into the "dog days" of summer very quickly this year. But woof, my tongue's getting tired from panting so hard. I'm still just a little guy, as my family likes to remind me, so my first summer's going to be interesting.

      Anyways, my humans suggested that I write about my favorite book for my first entry: Green Eggs and Ham. When Allison first read me the title, I was very happy! A book about food? YUM. Nevermind the green part - dogs are colorblind, remember? So a bit of green ham sounds tasty!

Of course, I didn't know yet that you're not supposed to eat books.

      Allison and Rachel were nice about it. After the initial shrieking, they gently pulled the book's pages from my mouth. And told me: "Books are friends, not food, Sam I Am!" I cocked my head to the side, like I do when I'm trying real hard to listen. Then I sneezed, which kind of ruined the effect.

That's when Allison started the T.R.E.A.T.S. system. It means To Read Educates an Already Terrific Sam I Am. Every week we're going to read a few new books together, and then she'll help me write about what I think. (I can't try typing, Allison says, until I learn to stop attempting to eat the keys off her laptop.) So we started with Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham. Look below - that's the other Sam I Am, the one I'm named for.

     All stretched out on a blanket in the backyard, I couldn't help getting excited when we started reading. Open the book and there's my name! Over and over! It was almost like the book was about me! I tried chomping on the cover one more time. I almost couldn't help it; I'm teething, so I want to chew everything: 

 Allison gave me my bone and reminded me that books are for reading!

      When we had finished the book, I decided I really liked it (even if I wasn't allowed to give it a good gnaw). One funny-looking guy refuses over and over to try Sam I Am's green eggs and ham. No matter how many options Sam gives him for dinner companions and setting, the funny guy turns his nose up - even though he's never had green eggs and ham before! Finally Sam I Am wears him down, and he discovers he LOVES green eggs and ham. Silly guy. Never turn down a free lunch.

      What Allison calls the "illustrations" are fun too. All loopy and wavy and full of unexpected surprises. This Dr. Seuss character must be quite the interesting human being to think of such a story!

      What I liked the best though, was how I could relate the story to my life. You see, Allison's family didn't always want a puppy. From when she was just a pup herself until recently, she'd been asking her parents for a dog. And her silly family kept on saying things like, "But we're probably allergic," and "That's a lot of work." They'd never even tried having a dog. A little while ago, Allison's family finally decided to take a chance and try something new. Ta-da! WOOF! Here I am, all the way from a shelter in Tennessee! I am like that guy's green eggs and ham. Never be afraid to try something new!

      I might be a puppy, but I already know that life is full of adventures. Adventures like trying new foods (I found out that bananas are yummy), going new places (like the park, YIP!), and meeting new humans and animals (I'm so glad I met my humans!). I know it can be scary. That's why there's things like books and friends and families. So Green Eggs and Ham gets two paws up and a tail wag to boot. Allison says that this classic book is best for ages 5-7 (in people years, that is). Enjoy! I'm off to try to befriend that crazy cat next door - maybe if I'm persistent like Sam I Am the furball will finally want to be friends. In any case, she's fun to chase. Aroooooo!

                                                                      Yours in new adventures,

                                                                                            Sam I Am