The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder

Peter Brown
Little, Brown Young Readers (2007)
ISBN 9780316011792
Reviewed by Olivia Alejandre (age 4) and Mom for Reader Views (12/07)

Mom’s review / summary:
Chowder is a lovable dog who tries to fit in and be like the other dogs at the Fabu Pooch Boot Camp.  In preparation for a dog show, he fixes his hair like theirs and tries to walk like they do.  Then, on a walk around the camp, he spots a trampoline and his true self comes out – an acrobat!  He practices constantly, getting better at tricks.  At the dog show, his jumps and back-flips award him not only cheers from the audience, but also the “Best Bouncer in Show” award and a lifetime supply of Snarf Snacks (since he’s their new spokesdoggy!).

Olivia seemed to be quite focused on the dogs (she loves dogs) and the trampolines, and so didn’t seem to grasp the overall message of the book until we talked about it later.  The art is beautiful and quite attractive to the eye – adults and children alike.  However, the humor is subtle in nature and hard for kids to understand.

Olivia’s review:
“Chowder loves to jump.  Chowder loves trampolines.  He wants to be an acrobat.  He goes to a dog show.  He tries to be fancy like the other dogs but his tongue is wet.  He jumps on the trampoline from the roof and does back-flips.  And then, he gets some snacks.”

Some quotes from Olivia about “The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder”:
“I like all the doggies.”

“Does she look mean?” (Ms. Fabu)

“That’s not very nice.” (the other dogs not playing with Chowder)

“I want to jump on the trampoline as high as Chowder and get lots of exercise.”

“How do we do a back-flip?”

“I like this page.” (Chowder doing the tricks at the dog show)

“Look at all the trampolines!” (last page)

[Mom]:  “Do you think we should try to be ourselves or try to be like other people?”
“We should be ourselves because I like being [me].”

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