Dude: Fun with Dude and Betty

by Lisa Pliscou, Tom Dunne (Illustrator)

Overview

Whoa!

Dude!

Learning to read surf-speak has never been so easy, or so much fun! It's, like, totally radical! (If you need a little extra help, check out the non-bogus glossary at the back of the book.) For beach boys and surfer girls of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061756900
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	05/03/2011
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	426,524
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD440L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

What People are Saying About This

Duke Boyd

"Dreaming about the art of catching waves? Dude is Surfer Speak 101.” --(Duke Boyd, surf icon, Hang Ten cofounder, and author of Legends of Surfing: The Greatest Surfriders from Duke Kahanamoku to Kelly Slater)

Julie Cox

"What a fun read! I totally dig Dude. :)” --(Julie Cox, Director of Operations, California Surf Museum, and pro surfer)

Matt Warshaw

"The best and funniest book for mini-groms I've seen in years. Old-school Dick and Jane fans will love it too!” --(Matt Warshaw, author of The Encyclopedia of Surfing )

Jerome Lynn Hall

"Lisa Pliscou's updated love letter to a bygone era keeps it simple, real, and delightfully ‘rad,' just like Dude!” --(Jerome Lynn Hall, Professor of Surf Culture and History, University of San Diego )

Editorial Reviews

Pliscou and Dunne, in their first children's book, spoof Dick and Jane with an introduction to surfer lingo, set in squeaky-clean SoCal environs. Dude, a blond boy in sunglasses, hits the beach with his surfboard, his "most excellent dog" Bud, and his pal Betty, "a righteous surf bunny." Pliscou mimes the sincere voice and meticulous punctuation of an easy reader ("See Dude surf. Whoa! Look at Dude surf. Surf, Dude, surf"). Her humor arises from unexpected vocabulary ("Stokaboka!"), paired with Dunne's earnest illustrations of Dude hanging 10, wiping out, and visiting a taco stand for "a bodacious burrito"—things Dick and Jane never dreamed of. In the book's funniest moment, Bud scarfs down Dude's lunch ("Most heinous, Bud!"). Girls may raise an eyebrow when Betty works on her tan while Dude surfs (to her credit, Betty later steps into the ocean with her board); parents may do the same when Dude and Betty flee the "gnarly scene" at home after the boy's parents ask if he's cleaned his room and done his homework. A glossary that defines terms like "awesome," "bummer," and "cranking" closes out this tongue-in-cheek primer. All ages. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Give Dude as a present to the expectant surfer parents you know, or, for that matter, to anyone with small kids who like adventure. Dude is a light, colorful lark of a tale . . . just like a day at the beach.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

Lisa Pliscou has turned the familiar style into something hilarious by applying it to surf culture.

Wall Street Journal

Lisa Pliscou has turned the familiar style into something hilarious by applying it to surf culture.

Wall Street Journal

Give Dude as a present to the expectant surfer parents you know, or, for that matter, to anyone with small kids who like adventure. Dude is a light, colorful lark of a tale . . . just like a day at the beach.

Los Angeles Times Book Review

A hilarious take on the old children's readers "Fun with Dick and Jane," with language like it was written by those righteous dudes, Bill and Ted. The simple story is of a surfer kid named Dude who just wants to have fun. When his parents (who look like the Beaver's parents) tell him to clean his room and do his homework, he has to bolt.

"Oh no! What a gnarly scene. It is time to bail. Bail, Dude, bail!"

The illustrations are colorful, clean and just make you want to grab your board and head to the beach with Dude and Betty.

It also has a helpful glossary in the back of the book for terms your land-locked child may not be familiar with, such as bodacious, bummer and surf bunny.

AP Book News

The formulaic blandness of the old "Dick and Jane" early readers seems to make them an irresistible target for ironic hipsters. With "Dude: Fun With Dude and Betty," Lisa Pliscou has turned the familiar style into something hilarious by applying it to surf culture. We meet Dude, a blond kid of about 12, on his way to the beach: "Dude is a way cool guy." Dude waves at us, and already we're smiling. With his pal Betty ("a righteous surf bunny") and his dog Bud ("a most excellent dog"), Dude hits the gnarly waves. Later, when the friends stop at a taco stand, hungry Bud takes advantage of Dude's momentary distraction and gobbles his lunch: "Uh oh. Bud has chowed Dude's burrito. Most heinous, Bud! Bud is harshing on Dude's mellow." But, phew, things improve: "Betty shares her nachos. What a non-bogus babe Betty is." Tom Dunne's sunny, retro illustrations perfectly match the good-natured tone of the text. Young readers may need help puzzling out words like "bodacious" and "cruisemobile," but their chuckling parents won't mind.

The Wall Street Journal

Gr 1–3—This takeoff on the old "Dick and Jane" books is a deliberately simple tale about a surfer named Dude, "a way cool guy," and Betty, "a righteous surf bunny." Joined by Dude's dog, Bud, they head to the beach. Dude surfs, Bud catches a Frisbee, Betty soaks up rays, and then they all eat nachos and burritos (although Bud has to steal his). There's a glossary at the end for terms like "gnarly," "bodacious," and "Stokaboka." The appeal of this book is tied to the surfing milieu, the retro-hip slang, and the stylish artwork that recalls magazine ads of the early 1960s (as well as the "Dick and Jane" books, of course). Parents and grandparents may enjoy this more than the first and second graders who are the more obvious target audience. A book for larger collections or libraries with lots of surfing fans.—Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

This cheeky debut from Pliscou and Dunne pokes fun at traditional reading primers while reveling in California surf culture.

Truly non-bogus retro artwork in the style of 1950s Dick and Jane illustrations evokes a nostalgic sensibility with contemporary updates—including a notably multicultural cast of characters in several beach scenes. The pictures throughout the book are brightly colored and detailed, with endpapers decoratedwith paintings of surfboards and characters that rely more on gestural strokes than detail. The control of the text is intentionally broken to incorporate "surf-speak" on nearly every page, including when Dude's friend Betty is introduced: "Betty is a righteous surf bunny. She doesnotlive in the Valley." While this might undermine the book's success as a beginning reader, it totally ratchets up the humor in a most excellent way. After Mother and Father ask him if he's cleaned his room and done his homework, Dude and Betty don't "go" like Dick and Jane, nor does his dog Bud "run" like Spot—they "bail" and head back to the beach. "Waves are happening," reads the final page. "Dude is stoked."

Readers will be stoked tooabout this fresh, funny, way-cool slice of Americana.(Early reader. 6 & up)

Kirkus Reviews

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