Publishers Weekly
10/02/2017
Just how long is Bartelby, the “sausage dog” resident of a bookstore? Long enough that he can’t fit head to tail on a page of Patton’s lighthearted book. On a walk with three children, Bartleby happily returns the smiles of passersby, oblivious that his “blundering behind” is creating mayhem: it triggers a pileup of cars, trips a pizza deliverer, and topples a ladder, sending a painter and his paint flying. Hearing the commotion, Bartelby circles back to investigate, determined to “get to the bottom of this and find the culprit!” This he does, biting the offending rear end—and thus identifying whose it is. Patton (Drat That Fat Cat!) adeptly highlights the story’s physical comedy, and Bartleby’s scruffy fur and expressive, bugged-out eyes make him a sympathetic pup. But the artwork doesn’t always communicate clearly: how Bartleby triggers the car accident isn’t entirely evident, and the children’s solution to prevent future incidents (a yellow scarf and “long vehicle” sign are involved) seems more about making others aware of the dog than about keeping Bartleby “absolutely sure where his bottom is.” Ages 4–8. Agent: Alli Brydon, Bright Group. (Dec.)
From the Publisher
"A sublimely silly book that children and dog lovers will enjoy reading again and again." — School Library Journal, Popular Pick
"Patton (Drat That Fat Cat!) adeptly highlights the story’s physical comedy, and Bartleby’s scruffy fur and expressive, bugged-out eyes make him a sympathetic pup." — Publishers Weekly
"Soft-focus, colored-pencil illustrations have a whimsical appeal, with amusing expressions for Bartelby and a multiethnic cast of characters." — Kirkus Reviews
"Author and illustrator Julia Patton's The Very Very Very Long Dog is sure to delight all young readers with its heartwarming story of friendship and unique illustrations. This is an adorable story about an adorable dog and his wonderful friends" — Shelf Awareness Pro
"The Very Very Very Long Dog" is a deftly written and beautifully illustrated picture book by Julia Patton featuring silly fun along with an important message for children ages 4 to 8: that we love our friends not in spite of their flaws, but because of them. Very highly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library picture book collections" — Midwest Book Review
School Library Journal
11/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Bartelby is an adorable sausage dog who lives in a bookstore. He loves his home, reading good books, and being taken for walks around town with his many friends. There's just has one not-so-little problem—he's too long. His front end is fine but his misguided backside has issues. Chaos and mayhem seem to follow wherever he and his faraway bottom go. His unsupervised tail end goes through wet cement and causes cars to crash. Bartelby is devastated when he realizes the source of the trouble is his own back end. His friends decide to work together to solve the problem. They come up with a clever solution to help their four legged companion when going for a walk. This is a charming book that is packed with humor. Bartelby's head and tail are rarely on the same page to show the extreme length of his body. The author refers to Bartelby's back end in humorous ways. For example, "blundering backside" and "reckless rear" are terms the will amuse and delight children. The use of color in the illustrations is minimal. Readers' eyes are drawn to the main subjects that have a greater amount of color. It's difficult not to fall in love with Bartelby and his supportive friends. The story quietly stresses the importance of friendship and perseverance. VERDICT This is a sublimely silly book that children and dog lovers will enjoy reading again and again.—Barbara Spiri, Southborough Library, MA
Kirkus Reviews
2017-09-18
An extremely long "sausage dog" causes problems with his far-distant rear end until his friends provide a creative solution.The dog, Bartelby, is presumably a wire-haired dachshund, although his ultra-long size puts him in the category of imaginary pets. He lives (seemingly independently) in a well-stocked bookstore, where he enjoys reading his favorite books "whilst eating breakfast" and having visits with three children who are his special friends. One is white with blonde braids, another is white with curly, red hair and glasses, and the third friend has brown skin and straight, dark hair. Bartelby is so long that he doesn't know what his own rear end is doing when he goes out on walks, causing issues such as tripping people or tracking his back feet through wet cement. His friends read books at the bookstore to discover a way to help him, coming up with a bright yellow sweater for Bartelby's back end with a light and warning sign. Soft-focus, colored-pencil illustrations have a whimsical appeal, with amusing expressions for Bartelby and a multiethnic cast of characters. The dog's enormous length makes some of the illustrations hard to understand, and it's difficult to grasp how Bartelby could walk with his extra-long body, powered only by four tiny feet. A mildly amusing outing for an odd though engaging canine character. (Picture book. 4-7)
