It's Not the Puppy

by J. Patrick Lewis, Leigh Lewis, Maddie Frost (Illustrator)

Overview

Who is making all the mischief in this house? It's not the puppy!
 
Authors J. Patrick Lewis and Leigh Lewis and artist Maddie Frost (It's Not the Baby) are back with another silly board book featuring lots of minor mishaps that you might think you could blame on the puppy—but it's not the puppy! Clues in the art show the true culprits: a raccoon knocked down the garbage can and the cat stole the baby's toys. Little ones will chime in on the repeated title refrain and will delight in the surprise ending—when of course—it finally IS the puppy.
 
Expertly crafted by well-known author J. Patrick Lewis and Leigh Lewis, the short rhyming text makes this an easy read-aloud for babies and toddlers. Maddie Frost's friendly characters, simple lines, and fun textures will draw in young readers. A perfect gift for baby showers and new parents.
 
Don't miss the mischief of It's Not the Baby as well!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681524092
Publisher:	The Creative Company
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Pages:	14
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

Editorial Reviews

2019-01-28

The big-eyed pup on the cover of this board book is obviously a scamp and quite possibly to blame for all sorts of mayhem—or maybe not.

Each page shows a different character engaged in some activity, often mischievous, that might be expected from a dog, but the picture and text clearly indicate otherwise. The actual culprits are not named, and not all are animals. They include a bunny, raccoon, cat, and three children. Young children will quickly pick up the refrain, "It's not the puppy?"—the proper response to the unobtrusively rhyming question posed on each left-hand page. The language is clear and direct: "When he waves his furry tail, / who knocks down the garbage pail?" The lively, cartoon illustrations include plenty of related details—flowers in the garden where the bunny digs, flies buzzing around the garbage can a raccoon has raided. Unfortunately, the pictures of children tend to reinforce gender stereotypes with what appears to be boys having active roles—tracking in mud while chasing a ball and practicing "doggy paddles in the tub." The only child textually identified by gender is a girl hiding from thunder. The final picture is of another, less-fearful pigtailed child waking to "a big wet kiss surprise… / it IS the puppy!" All children depicted have brown skin and curly black hair.

Don't expect kids to pause to identify the mischief-makers or talk about the pictures, at least at first—do expect a request to "read it again." (Board book. 1-3)

Kirkus Reviews