Review by Booklist Review
This delightfully subversive guide to being a farm dog will have readers cheering for its scrappy hero, Ragweed, who lives to extract dog biscuits from the farmer. Ragweed, a rambunctious-looking mutt whose bulgy eyes and bristly hair convey excitement and movement, explains the rules of the farm for other dogs. For example, the rooster wakes the farmer, not the dog. Pigs wallow in mud, not dogs. Chickens sit on their nests, not dogs. But a comic turn comes with each case. Ragweed shows what happens if you (the dog) violate a rule you get a biscuit! The farmer gives you one so he can sleep later in the morning, or after he gives you a bath following a wallow in the mud, and even after you scare all the chickens under the guise of chasing a fox away. The acrylic paints have a vibrancy and lopsided jolliness that perfectly fit this zany tale, which also gives readers a clear overview of farm animals. Ragweed's tips and antics are a treat.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Working in cheery acrylics and once again mining the comedic potential of a setting that teeters between bucolic and chaotic, Kennedy (The Farmer's Away! Baa! Neigh!) introduces Ragweed, a wiry, googly-eyed farm dog whose loopy logic and single-mindedness bring to mind a canine version of Parks & Recreation's Andy Dwyer. Eager to mentor future farm dogs, Ragweed offers a how-to guide essentially built around one rule: don't do anything that's "not your job." ("The rooster wakes the farmer early in the morning. That's his job. That's not your job.") But if you do break that prime directive, say by rolling in the mud like a pig or sitting in the chickens' nests, worry not: there's usually a biscuit or three in it for you, especially if you can persuade the farmer you were just keeping the chickens safe from a fox. This structure, repeated throughout with clever variations (eating grass like a cow means throwing up a biscuit, "and you can eat that one again"), makes Kennedy's hero more endearing with every page turn. Ages 3-7. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-There are many responsibilities for a farm dog. But new dogs shouldn't be nervous-they have the experienced Ragweed to give them guidance on how to be successful. His list of do's and don'ts can be tricky and sometimes go against a canine's instincts. For instance, don't wake up the farmer, don't sit on the chickens' nests, and don't eat grass like the cows. Ragweed is pretty cunning and has learned to use the other farm animals (and the farmer) to his advantage. He points out that if you can act like you are chasing a fox when you are running from the chickens' nests, then you will earn an extra reward from the farmer. And, of course, you have to share that reward with the fox. Ragweed waits to chase the sheep when the farmer is away so that he won't get in trouble for having fun. This book is very funny, with lots of energy and silliness. Kennedy reports the facts of the farm dog life and turns reader expectations upside down. The text is brief and full of emphasis. The depictions of Ragweed in his everyday life are just as funny as his thoughts. The setting is bucolic until Ragweed, with googly eyes and lolling tongue, enters. Then Ragweed chases, races, and flies through the air. VERDICT This pup's irrepressible energy will win over plenty of readers and give them a fun look at life on a farm.-Susan E. Murray, formerly at Glendale Public Library, AZ © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
A farm dog's job isn't to wake the farmer (that's Rooster's job) nor to roost in the chicken coop (that's Hen's), but Ragweed's handbook describes how a good farm dog takes full advantage of these--and other--opportunities. The text's repetitive structure and bright acrylics of the jubilant, scruffy pup's schemes humorously reveal a farm dog's true job: "TO GET BISCUITS! (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A lovable farm dog named Ragweed pens a first-person guidebook that explains how to succeed on the job while earning lots of biscuit rewards. Ragweed is so accomplished at his profession that he has written a handbook for aspiring farm dogs. He's good at writing too, and he has clear objectives to get across to his readers. He describes the job of each farm animal, what will happen if a dog tries to do that job, and what the result in the biscuit-reward system will be. Each situation is funny in a different way, from charmingly amusing (sharing an extra biscuit with a fox) to laugh-out-loud hilarious (eating grass like cows leads to, er, a biscuit that can be eaten again). The satisfying conclusion finds Ragweed and the farmer sitting together on the porch at the end of the day, with the faithful, funny canine getting a biscuit just for being a good dog. Buoyant, fresh illustrations in acrylic paints are filled with bright green grass, flowers, fields, and farm animals in motion. But it's Ragweed who is the heart of this delightful story, with his long snout and expressive, bulging eyes. He can't hold himself back from getting into the territories of the other animals, but he knows how to have fun on the farm and still get what he wants while endearing himself to the farmer (and to readers). Give that Ragweed an extra biscuit, or just hand over the whole box. A star deserves his just rewards. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
