About Me

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Ruff! My name is Sam I Am Irving Theophilus. I'm a Wauzer (my daddy was a Westie and my mama was a Schnauzer), and I'm happy to meet you! I love people, especially my human Allison. She and her sister adopted me from Little Rhody Rescue, so now I've found my forever home! Allison helped me make this blog so I could talk about all the exciting books I get to read in my new home. I just have to remember: books are friends, NOT food! Woof.
Showing posts with label Rosemary Wells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rosemary Wells. Show all posts

Saturday, September 10, 2011

"Dragon Boat," Said Sam

Hi!

     Boy oh boy oh boy! What a howling-happy day! This morning Allison and Rachel took me to something called the Chinese Dragon Boat Races and Taiwan Festival. By the big river that goes through Pawtucket, a giant puffed-up dragon arch showed where to go. Oh! The people! The smells! The sights! THE NEW FRIENDS TO MAKE! Arooooo! I was so excited my tail didn't stop wagging for a second!

     First we went and sat by the water to watch the dragonboat races. Allison - who had explained earlier that dragons are gigantic winged lizards that can breathe fire - pointed the boats out to me. Each boat had the head and tail of a fierce-looking, red-nosed dragon! Luckily, these dragons weren't real, so I wasn't afraid of becoming a toasted wauzer pup. They were actually kind of funny, packed with bunches of humans in thick jackets. The humans had to move the dragons across the water with these flat stick-things. Silly, huh?

See? This guy has a beard like my beard (but mine is black and grey) - and spiky horns!

Here we are posing with another dragon in a big tent. This dragon was made of wood. Smelled like maple tree to me...not so scary! Ruff!

     After making friends with some human-pups (their daddy was on one of the dragonboats), I padded after my humans to explore more of the festival. And guess what? I'm not the only dog interested in dragons...

This is Quahog, a very fun new friend with a very different name! What's a "quahog" anyway?


      Anyway, after that my humans and I listened to a group of older human-pups beat on these huge drums and then to lots of girl-humans play music. The girl-humans came to Pawtucket all the way from a place called Taiwan, across the sea. They made music with strange instruments, but it was pretty. I also had fun making friends with the dragonboat rowers sitting next to us; those guys didn't mind a bit when I hopped onto their laps (even if they wouldn't give me their chicken salad!). Overall, I really liked the festival, and when we got home I happily curled up for a nap. Rrruff! I knew I'd dream of dragons!

     A little later, Allison read me two books with dragons in them. The first is about a bunny who wants a dragon shirt, and the second is about a princess who outsmarts a not-so-nice dragon:

In Rosemary Wells' Max's Dragon Shirt, a simple shopping trip quickly turns into an adventure. Ruby takes her little brother Max to the store to buy him new overalls, but quickly gets distracted by a red dress. Max, a bunny-pup who wants a dragon shirt instead of new overalls, follows his sister around the store without saying much. Except for two words, over and over...


"Dragon shirt," said Max.

     Soon Max finds himself alone in a boring dressing room - and wanders off in search of a dragon shirt. What comes next in this comical story will make many human-pups giggle aloud. Let's just say that Ruby learns not to leave Max alone anymore, and that Max finally gets what he wants! Great silly fun, this book is a must-read for little human-pups who stubbornly insist on their own sense of style (as for me, my fur's enough...no shirts or clothes-shopping for this pup!). Allison says that this was one of her favorites growing up, especially the funny colors and sizes of the dresses Ruby tries on. And the ending, which even involves ice cream! Fans of Rosemary Wells will enjoy this classic Max and Ruby tale of sibling interaction. Two paws up and a tail wag for this one! Best for human-pups grades PreK-2. 

The Paper Bag Princess, written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko, is an unsual picture book fairy tale. As Allison puts it: Princess likes prince. Dragon eats castle and steals prince. Princess runs off to rescue prince - with only a paper bag for a dress. You see, this dragon is not a very nice one. He has terrible manners, bounding up and wolfing down an entire castle like that! Cats are more polite! Woof! Fortunately, this dragon meets his match in the fiesty (if a little dirty) Princess Elizabeth. Would-be princesses and other human-pups who enjoy dragon stories where the dragons do not get killed will like this book! With pictures that bring out the laughable in both the dragon's and Elizabeth's personalities, this story is modern fairy tale with a happy ending won by wits alone. It just goes to show that being mean and hurting people ("violence" Allison calls it) isn't always the answer. And princes who don't appreciate being rescued don't deserve a second thought! You go, girl! Aroooooo! Two paws up, and best for human-pups grades PreK-3.   

Now I'm out the door for one last trot around the yard before snuggling up with my stuffed little Clifford and my blanket. Fall is coming; it's getting chilly at night lately! Dragons must feel lucky. Think how nice and toasty they stay in the winter! Wonder if I could make friends with one and persuade it to cuddle? Hmmmm....

Yours in Dragon Dreams,
Sam I Am

Sunday, May 29, 2011

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