School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 4-Lessons learned and shared between a boy and his dog cover many subjects, from science (mud, burdocks, ticks, and skunks) to math (the number of biscuits a dog deserves and the percentage of a boy's bed it requires) in this picture book that's as joyful as a meander through the woods with a curious canine. A truth extracted from the art lesson: "Every picture [and book] is better with a dog in it." © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Newbery Medalist Perkins (Criss Cross) offers a simultaneously lighthearted and insightful look at education, in this story starring a boy and his newly rescued dog: "Both of them were just pups. They had a lot to learn." Through Frank and Lucky's relationship with each other and the natural world, Perkins creates a free-form curriculum that playfully introduces various disciplines. Lucky's encounter with a skunk leads to an exploration of chemistry and experiments (such as which products will turn "smell molecules" into "not-so-smelly molecules"), while six side-by-side images of Lucky and Frank attempting to share a bed accompany the question, "How much of the bed is Lucky's, and how much is Frank's?" ("This is fractions and percentages," writes Perkins. "The answer changes throughout the night.") As Perkins comments on art, history, geography, and more, she brings a warm, conversational tone to the narrative, while her mixed-media pictures play up the story's humor through the use of comics elements, including panel sequences and speech balloons. From interdisciplinary connections to unanswerable questions, Perkins demonstrates the value and rewards of investigating one's world, whether human or dog. Ages 4-8. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Frank is having a terrible, horrible, no good etc. day, but then he gets Lucky -- a pooch from the pound who becomes Franks faithful companion in the business of learning about the world. The two learn about science ("Science is when you wonder about something, so you observe it and ask questions about it") and such subcategories as botany, entomology, and chemistry (after the time Lucky "wondered about skunks"). They solve math problems: "Lets say a dog comes in from outside and gets one biscuit, but there are three people in the living room. How many more biscuits should the dog receive?" And a mysteriously devoured birthday cake provides a lesson in historiography: "Sometimes in History there are different versions of what really happened, depending on who is telling the story." How Perkins manages to include so many actual, useful facts in the story is an education in itself, especially in the way text and pictures so thoroughly trust the obligation of one to complete the other. A portrait of a dog (Lucky, of course) and a cat? Composition. And the next picture of said dog heading for the hills while the cat sits smugly in the foreground is an excellent demonstration of Perspective. Ideas, motifs, and characters pop in and out in surprising but logical ways, and Perkins varies the page design -- full-page paintings, vignettes, text (dryly laconic) distributed between narrative and dialogue/thought balloons -- to keep everybodys thinking caps firmly affixed. The strands of school and life, boy and dog, and curiosity and investigation are firmly, joyfully, braided throughout. Who needs Core Standards? roger sutton (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Frank's bad day is turned around when his parents take him to the animal shelter, and he picks out Lucky. Perkins' playful, multidisciplinary picture book follows the boy and his dog as they get to know each other and learn about the world. Together, the winsome pals learn about a variety of topics by exploring their surroundings. For example, when Lucky gets sprayed by a skunk, Frank learns about experimentation and chemistry. Elsewhere, Lucky and Frank learn about history (when they spot a statue of Balto), geography (when Lucky runs off in the fields near Frank's house), and foreign languages (when they meet a couple of Spanish-speaking kids in their neighborhood), among many others. The scattered pace of discovery, while a bit jolting as a narrative device, is a great replication of the frenetic pace of doggie enthusiasm and unstructured exploration. Perkins' watercolor-and-ink illustrations incorporate labels, diagrams, and maps to emphasize the pair's lessons. The wide variety of subjects is engrossing, but it's the bond between Frank and Lucky that steals the show.--Lock, Anita Copyright 2016 Booklist