I Didn’t Do It By Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest

• 04/07/2014
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I Didn’t Do It
Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest
Katherine Tegen Books (2010)
ISBN 9780061358333
Reviewed by Madison (age 4) and Hailey (age 2) Schlarman and Mom for Reader Views (11/10)

What exactly do puppies think? Do they have feelings? What do they feel or think when new things happen to them? “I Didn’t Do It” is a series of poems that tell the tale of excited puppies as they relate to the world around them and all its new discoveries. Daily occurrences such as the mailman delivering the mail, eating people food, baths and outdoor play are delivered in lyrical form to delight children and puppy lovers everywhere. So what exactly does a puppy think??

Madison’s Rendition & Thoughts:

“Shh! Close the door we’re sleeping! Let us sleep; we need a lot of sleep! The puppy wants to be called Big Bad Bob! Let me cross the road! I don’t like taking a bath, being threatened by thunder or being caught eating food. I love balls, jelly beans, cookies and gum stuck on the sidewalk. I didn’t chew your slipper, eat the buttons off your coat or chew the tissues! What did I do?! I brought you a nice present! It was a squirrel! Eww, the owner said when he brought it to her. Big Doggy! A big fat dog! He is big and clumsy. He saw himself in the mirror! I can fly! The doggy runs fast! Every night I sleep on the bed.
It was great! The puppy wanted to be called Big Bad Bob! It was funny. I want to get the book on the back, ‘Once I ate a Pie.’”

Hailey (age 2) said:

“I like the doggy! Big Bad Bob, that’s cute!”

Mom’s thoughts:

“I Didn’t Do It” was a cute book all about puppies and how they think, act and react! My girls sat very still while we read this book. They asked questions and laughed all the while pointing out the dogs pictured. The illustrations are hand drawn and large. The girls really enjoyed the life-likeness of these illustrations. Due to the poetic setup of this book there are fifteen entries that feel like short chapters. I enjoyed this part of the book with my older daughter who is starting to take interest in chapter books and sitting for longer periods of time while we read. I also noticed a big change in my youngest daughter. Her attention span for books seems to be getting longer as she sat through this entire book and did not get up to play. While she didn’t have many thoughts on the book she did point out what interested her and why. I felt due to the length of this book that was great! I would recommend this book for children 3 to 7 years of age. Children with a long attention span or love for dogs will get the most out of this book.