3 and 4 year-olds
GENRE
Picture book
REVIEW
Somehow Provensen has managed to channel the thoughts and motivations of a terrier in this laugh-out-loud funny book. "Murphy-Stop-That is my name," opens the story, and we set off with Murphy the farm dog on his day. Murphy is high-energy and on alert all the time, as this excerpt from his amusing interior monologue shows: "Don't waste any time. You have to be first! The first one in the kitchen in the morning. Where's the pan? The pan first. Leftovers. Scraps. Forget the lettuce. Where's the bowl?" Illustrations painted in oils reflect Murphy's liveliness, and he is cast as quick black lines over a brown-gray background, with darting eyes rounding out the portrait. In the course of the day Murphy assists the other animals in a raid of the pet food cupboard, looks for mice, is taken to the vet, and investigates nighttime noises. This story is very engaging, Murphy is one of the most likeable picture book characters I've ever met, and the book's closing scene imparts a positive message about valuing one's friends and blessings in life. The only minor drawbacks to the book are the sometimes uninteresting background scenes -- although I realize they are probably meant to fade a little bit in order to let Murphy stand out -- and a slightly clinical all-caps font. But these are small details and should definitely not stop anyone from reading this story to their 3 or 4 year-old again and again.
LIBRARY PROGRAMMING IDEAS
After reading this book aloud at preschool storytime, children could make terrier puppets using brown paper bags, pre-cut construction paper ears, crayons, pre-cut lengths of black yarn, plastic googly eyes, and glue sticks.
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