Boot & Shoe

by Marla Frazee, Marla Frazee (Illustrator)

Overview

Two adorably floppy dogs confront unexpected change in this endearing picture book with audio from two-time Caldecott Honor medalist Marla Frazee.

Boot and Shoe were born into the same litter, and now they live in the same house. They eat out of the same bowl, pee on the same tree, and sleep in the same bed. But they spend their days apart—Boot on the back porch because he’s a back porch kind of dog, and Shoe on the front porch because he’s a front porch kind of dog. This is exactly perfect for them. But then a crazy neighborhood squirrel arrives…and everything goes topsy-turvy!

Caldecott Honor medalist Marla Frazee brings her signature wit, tenderness, and hilarious illustrations to this tale of an irresistible puppy pair. Includes audio!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442457065
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	10/02/2012
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD470L (what's this?)
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marla Frazee is the recipient of a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Picture Book and a three-time Caldecott Honor winner. She has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, and Everywhere Babies by Susan Meyers, as well as her own Farmer Books trilogy, A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, and The Boss Baby, which inspired the DreamWorks Animation film. She is also the illustrator of the New York Times bestselling Clementine chapter books by Sara Pennypacker. The mother of three grown sons, she lives in Pasadena, California. Visit her at MarlaFrazee.com.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

* “With restrained humor and an eye for homey detail, Frazee (The Boss Baby) introduces near-identical terriers who lead a life that is “exactly perfect for both of them.”…. Like Elisha Cooper’s recent Homer, this is an everyday dog story elevated to a thing of beauty by understated artwork and prose. Frazee’s hand-lettered type and the subtle differences between the well-groomed dogs add to the homespun, local vibe.”

—Publishers Weekly, October 1, 2012, *STAR

Editorial Reviews

Expertly drawn, full of humor and affection and beautifully arranged, Boot & Shoe is a jubilant romp from beginning to end.
—Pamela Paul

The New York Times Book Review

A genius at capturing human expression and antics, Frazee (“The Seven Silly Eaters,” “The Boss Baby,” “Clementine”) seems equally unrivaled at depicting canine behavior and emotion. Boot and Shoe are brothers who live peacefully in the same home, sharing food bowl and bed, but then each retreating to his own porch for rest and contemplation. One day, a scampering squirrel mixes things up; chaos ensues. Expertly drawn, full of humor and affection and beautifully arranged, “Boot & Shoe” is a jubilant romp from beginning to end.

The New York Times

* “There is genius in this tale’s simplicity and Frazee’s understated text, repetitive language, sentence structure, and perfect comic timing play the heartwarming humor to the hilt. The pencil-and-gouache artwork, set against creamy French vanilla backdrops, blends precise lines with fluid motion, and the muted colors subtly mirror the narrative’s restraint and changing moods. The snow-white pooches, with their black button noses and eyes hidden by furry fringe, are true charmers, and their emotions are masterfully conveyed through eloquent body language. A dog-lover’s delight and tender ode to friendship.”

—School Library Journal, August 2012, *STAR

* “Boot and Shoe, Shoe and Boot—they’re a perfect pair…. Two-time Caldecott Honor winner Frazee creates the dogs’ world in a series of cozy, expressive vignettes (nestled in plenty of white space), which capture the devoted friends’ joy and angst in shades of muted green and yellow. Full-page spreads offer up views of their tidy house, both porches visible, and a particularly amusing image depicts (seemingly) hundreds of squirrels and shaggy pups chasing one another around, up, and over the structure. Rarely have dogs—or footwear—been so charming.”

—Booklist, August 1, 2012, *STAR

* “This gem about canine siblings goes from peaceful routine to funny mayhem to erroneous bereavement—and relief…. Gouache and black pencil create warm vignettes and sturdy spreads with a vibe both lively and mellow. Creamy, speckled paper matches organic, hand-lettered text…. Frazee conveys painful and soothing depth with ease, which is especially impressive given that Boot and Shoe’s eyes can't be seen. Read unhurried, in a lap, again and again.”

—Kirkus Reviews, July 25, 2012, *STAR

“The sprightly lines of Frazee’s black-pencil and gouache illustrations add to the humor of this nimble tale of misplaced assumptions, which is reminiscent of the physical comedy of a Buster Keaton movie and just as entertaining.”

—Horn Book Magazine, September/October 2012

From the Publisher

A genius at capturing human expression and antics, Frazee (“The Seven Silly Eaters,” “The Boss Baby,” “Clementine”) seems equally unrivaled at depicting canine behavior and emotion. Boot and Shoe are brothers who live peacefully in the same home, sharing food bowl and bed, but then each retreating to his own porch for rest and contemplation. One day, a scampering squirrel mixes things up; chaos ensues. Expertly drawn, full of humor and affection and beautifully arranged, “Boot & Shoe” is a jubilant romp from beginning to end.

The New York Times

This gem about canine siblings goes from peaceful routine to funny mayhem to erroneous bereavement--and relief. Littermates Boot and Shoe are small, white dogs with black tails and fur flopping over their eyes. Only their leg coloring differs, giving rise to their names. Boot spends daytime on the back porch, Shoe the front, a habit "perfect for both of them"; they share supper bowl, dog bed and a specific tree for peeing on. Gouache and black pencil create warm vignettes and sturdy spreads with a vibe both lively and mellow. Creamy, speckled paper matches organic, hand-lettered text. One day, a chattering squirrel gets "all up in [their] business," and the dogs go berserk. To symbolize two dogs and one squirrel in a mad dash, upward of 80 squirrel figures race around the yard and over the roof with a similar number of dog figures in hot pursuit. Post-chase, exhausted, each dog finds himself on the wrong porch. Tragically in sync, they circle the house simultaneously to find each other, preventing their own success. Each progresses from patience--hunger, rain, waiting overnight--to true grief, sure the other's gone. Dog posture, value and composition create poignant pangs--and stunned joy as the dogs reunite when (and where) nature calls. Frazee conveys painful and soothing depth with ease, which is especially impressive given that Boot and Shoe's eyes can't be seen. Read unhurried, in a lap, again and again. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews