Ree Drummond
HarperCollins (2011)
ISBN 9780061996559
Reviewed by Madison Schlarman (age 5) and Mom for Reader Views (6/11)
Charlie is a ranch dog with big paws, droopy eyes, floppy skin, and dangly ears. His best friend Suzie also works on the ranch, but she doesn’t look the same at all. In fact, they don’t have very much in common aside from the brown on their faces. Suzie can run and dig and jump! Charlie has never been much of a jumper or runner or digger. That doesn’t stop them from being friends though; they have plenty of work on the farm to share and keep busy with! As ranch dogs, Charlie and Suzie get up super early! They each have their own chores, though who actually does them is sometimes a mystery! One thing they can count on is an interesting day, full of discovery and jobs they can do well! Especially Charlie, the cutest, floppiest, droopiest, shortest ranch dog!
Madison’s Thoughts:
“Charlie is a ranch dog. He lives on a ranch. I wish I could go to a ranch and be a ranch dog. Suzie is the best friend dog. They don’t look alike. Suzie doesn’t have the floppy ears or floppy skin or the kind of paws Charlie has. No droopy eyes, no big fat nose. Suzie can jump, run and dig. Charlie can sit in the mud, flop around when’s he’s trying to fun and lay down when he’s trying to jump. He says “I better wake up Suzie, but it looks like she’s a morning dog today. They get up early! Charlie’s job is to keep the cow out of the yard, keep the creatures away from the house and help mama in the garden. He falls asleep though. Everyone leaves. Wait! What? I think I hear the sound of approaching beast! [Child laughs] ‘Daisy, NO!’ Charlie said. Howl! Howl! He scares the cow away. He did his job.
I like this book a lot! Charlie is my favorite! I like that he wakes up and scares daisy away. He is silly. He is funny. The pictures are great. I would like this book to be read to me lots. I even think my friends would like it. Maybe we could have a play date and read them the book!”
Mom’s Thoughts:
I loved this adorable book! The illustrations are great! The story is educational and fun to read. We had the chance to learn about life on the ranch through the eyes of an adorable old ranch dog. My girls love to read this book. Madison laughs and laughs when we read the part about the approaching beast! She certainly has a favorite line in this book.
Overall, “Charlie the Ranch Dog” is a perfect book because it accomplishes all the goals of reading. It is fun, educational, colorful and vibrant. It also has plenty of words for my five-year-old to practice reading with! What’s not to love about two adorable ranch dogs exploring their outside world? I would highly recommend this book. Children ages 2-6 will enjoy all it has to offer and their parents will too! It would make a wonderful gift for the child in your life.
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