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Summary
Summary
"Murphy-Stop-That is my name. I am a terrier. I bark. I bark at anything and everything and all the time."
As he goes through his day -- barking, eating, outsmarting the dumb animals on the farm, putting up with a visit to the vet -- Murphy never loses his doggy enthusiasm, even when he has to sleep out in the barn.
In her charming new tale, acclaimed author and illustrator Alice Provensen shows that every dog -- even a bad dog -- has his day.
Author Notes
Alice Provensen was born Alice Rose Twitchell in Chicago, Illinois on August 14, 1918. She took classes at the Art Institute of Chicago and at the University of California at Los Angeles before finding a job at the animation studio of Walter Lantz. She met her future husband, Martin Provensen, while he was working on a Navy training film during World War II. They married in 1944 and relocated to Washington D.C., where she worked as a graphic artist for the Office of Strategic Services. They later moved to New York and became known as an author-illustrator picture book team.
They created many award-winning picture books including A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Inexperienced Travelers by Nancy Willard, which won a 1982 Caldecott Honor, and The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot, which won the 1984 Caldecott Medal. Their other books included A Year at Maple Hill Farm, Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm, Karen's Curiosity, Karen's Opposites, The Fuzzy Duckling, Katie the Kitten, The Color Kittens by Margaret Wise Brown, and A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson. They also created Tony the Tiger, which was the advertising symbol of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.
She continued working after her husband's death in 1987. Her books included The Buck Stops Here: The Presidents of the United States, A Day in the Life of Murphy, Punch in New York, and Klondike Gold. She died on April 23, 2018 at the age of 99.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Meet "Murphy-Stop-That," the yippy little terrier starring in this first-person (or should we say first-dog) account. Murphy's peripatetic, wide-eyed, tail-wagging personality is foreshadowed in endpapers covered with his zippy little paw prints. There is not much plot here, but Murphy's breathlessly running commentary to himself on everything from the importance of being first into the kitchen in the morning ("Run! Run! Don't waste any time. You have to be first!") to a car trip to the vet ("I hate to ride in the car. Whirring. Bumping. Swaying. Whimper. Whine") to dinnertime ("Be patient. Don't beg. Things drop. Crumbs. Good things. Sneaky handouts") gives the book entertaining momentum. Readers know this dog and his world through his consistently expressed point of view, both textual and visual. The impression of Murphy's hyperkinetic energy is supported through the graphic device of horizontal linearity as he moves across the bottom of most spreads in multiple images, often at a dead run, halting only on the last page as linearity turns more softly circular at day's end. Provensen skillfully balances frenetic activity with generous white space. Her oil renderings of this farm world in strong, recognizable line are a perfect foil for her more hasty, scratchy depiction of the pup himself. This is an assured but simple presentation that will earn this memorably funny dog a place on shelves and in hearts.-Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Old Greenwich, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Provensen's animated oil paintings follow the amiable, wide-eyed dog through the ups and downs of his day, which ends on a pleasant, predictably noisy note," wrote PW. Ages 3-7. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Preschool, Primary) In this terrier-centered monologue, a bouncy canine named, he believes, ""Murphy-stop-that"" shares his world (and worldview) with young listeners: ""Be quiet...be patient. Don't beg. Things drop. Crumbs. Good things. Sneaky handouts. Keep an eye on the dog dish. There might be leftovers!"" Harris's appropriately choppy, frenetic narration captures the charm and boundless energy of Provensen's dynamic illustrations; his pauses serve the same purpose as the book's use of white space: a rest for the ear instead of the eye. Such background images as signs hanging on the wall in the veterinarian's waiting room (""Heart Worm Testing,"" ""Rabies Shot,"" ""Lyme Disease"") are conveyed as distant (and ominous) mutterings. Move over, McDuff-give Murphy his due. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Not a whole lot happens in Murphy's day beyond scavenging for food, a trip to the vet, and a flurry of late-night barking, but that's not really the point. The point is Murphy himself, a wide-eyed, hairy little terrier whose energy communicates itself through an all-upper-case text and staccato sentences. Murphy appears as a mass of wiry black hair, frequently rendered in multiple across a page to further emphasize his boundless enthusiasm. The oil illustrations feature a flat perspective with liberal use of white space; this provides a static background that further highlights Murphy's antics. Provenson departs from lofty themes, delivering a spot-on interpretation of the inner life of a terrier, and the humor in many of the scenes is priceless. There is so little story that readers who do not share the author's evident enthusiasm for dog psychology may well be unimpressed; dog lovers, however, should lap this up. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. For terrier Murphy (or, as he introduces himself, "Murphy-Stop-That"), life on the farm is busy. There are floors to lick, shoes to chew, mice to sniff out. The kitchen is a joy; the car, not so great; the vet, "Get me out of here!" But soon, it's home to supper, some excited night barking (he "heard the moon move"), and bedtime in the barn, surrounded by his toys and animal friends. With charming, lively illustrations and peppy, descriptive prose, Provensen portrays the smells, sounds, and activities of a delightful, active pup. Colorful, textured artwork outlined in black and brimming with whimsical detail, captures wide-eyed Murphy traversing barnyard and house, wholeheartedly enjoying life (even doing a few things he shouldn't be doing). Although this is longer than the usual picture book, short phrases and strings of adjectives make it a fun read-aloud that will hold kids' interest. It will be hard to resist the joyful, humorous touches in text and art and the enthusiastic, engaging doggie stream of consciousness as Murphy goes about his day. ShelleRosenfeld.