Review by Booklist Review
Several dogs stare intently at a child holding a tennis ball ( I see the ball ), and so begins a riotous game of fetch from two-time Geisel Honor Book creator Meisel. Utilizing a hot-air balloon, a speed boat, and a sports car, the pack of dogs chases after the ball ( The ball is fast ) as it bounces into a pond, ricochets off a beaver's tail, lodges in a bird's beak, drops into a whale's mouth, and is ultimately intercepted by a lion, who gulps it down. The game ends, but a new one begins on the last page ( I see a stick ). As part of the I Can Read series, this is designated as a Level C reader, and while the text consists of four- and five-word sentences geared towards kindergartners, Meisel's ink, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations, so alive with movement, pair with the bouncy story to make this a treat for any reader. Nonstop fun in aid of early reading.--Connie Fletcher Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--The engaging pups introduced in See Me Run and See Me Dig return to chase an errant tennis ball across land and sea. The adventure beings simply with a hand holding a ball. When the ball is thrown, the pack chases it down the hill and through the lake. As various other animals confiscate the ball, the dogs-- in hot pursuit --utilize a hot air balloon, a boat, and a car. The rumpus ends when the ball is swallowed by a lion. Another adventure seems imminent, however, as the dogs gaze expectantly at the same anonymous hand now holding a stick. The text is large font, incorporates simple sentence structure and repeated word use. Combined with the pictures, there is a definite and satisfying story line. Beginning readers will enjoy the ever-increasing absurdity in the sequence of events. Watercolor and ink outline, cartoon illustrations are clean and straightforward, but fall far short of awe-inspiring. VERDICT Beginning readers and fans of Meisel will enjoy this new installment.--Richelle Rose, Kenton County Public Library, KY
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Review by Horn Book Review
The amiable yellow dog from Meisels previous entries in the estimable I Like to Read series (including Meisels Geisel Honorwinning See Me Run) returns in another adventure. Here our narrator joins a large group of dog friends to chase a tennis ball through a park: I see the ball. The ball is fast. So far, so ordinary. But then a flip from a beavers tail in the parks pond sends the ball high into the air, where a bird catches it (The bird has the ball); the bird drops the ball into the ocean, where a whale catches it (The whale has the ball); etc. When the ball is jettisoned back to land via the whales blowhole, a lion catches itand this timegulp!The ball is gone. Throughout, the entire doggy group continues to chase after the ball: cheerfully crammed into a hot-air balloon, a small boat, and finally a sporty pink convertible. Readers who have bought into the whole outlandish journey should be both surprised and delighted by Meisels humorous circular ending, which returns the dogs to the park, once again ready to play: I see a stick. With just a single sentence on each double-page spread, a very limited vocabulary, lots of repetition, simple syntax, and clear clues in the lively watercolor illustrations, this book gives new readers plenty of support while also keeping them enormously entertained. martha v. parravano July/Aug p.113(c) Copyright 2019. 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
In Meisel's latest dog-themed early reader (See Me Dig, 2013, etc.), a pack of determined dogs chases after a yellow tennis ball by using a hot air balloon, a speedboat, and a pink convertible.The simple, predictable text uses just four or five words per double-page spread, with elementary sentence structures that are accessible to new readers. The story begins with an olive-skinned human (shown only from the shoulders down) ready to throw the ball for the waiting dogs. Several sentences are repeated with the change of just one word as the ball is taken in turn by a bird, a whale, and a lion. The amusing canines can conjure up whatever help they need in their joint effort, taking off in a hot air balloon to chase after the bird, zooming across open water in pursuit of the whale, and speeding after the lion in their sporty pink convertible. The smiling lion suddenly stops and swallows the ball, ending the chase. The concluding page finds the playful pups whisked back home where they started, with the human character now ready to throw a stick. The illustrations provide plenty of motion, appealing animal characters, and funny details such as the tennis ball clenched in the whale's jaws.A humorous and effective early reader that meets the standard set by this successful series. (Early reader. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
