Good Boy

Aa a dog owner I think I like this book even more than my kid.

GREAT pics. GREAT pacing. GREAT concept. GREAT value. Sergio is at the top of the picture book world. His style is so individual. His concepts are so unique.

A great choice for a library literacy program with therapy dogs!

This is a story of a boy and his dog. It starts simply enough with the boy issuing commands and the dog obeying. He sits, rolls over, jumps, fetches and… juggles! Then the dog makes them a meal and cleans the house. The two of them head outside where the commands become more like requests to have fun together and the pair head off on an adventure. It leads them to build a boat, find an island, build a rocket and then leave earth. They come to a lovely planet where they make new friends but soon miss home. Returning back, the two get ready for bed together and finally fall asleep side-by-side.Ruzzier cleverly turns the relationship of owner and pet on its head in the book. He begins the book with the more traditional roles and then steadily makes their relationship one of equals and friends. By the end, the tone is entirely different from the beginning, something that is very impressive given that there are only one or two words on each page of the book. It is a beautifully structured book and very intelligently designed.Ruzzier’s illustrations have his unique feel with surreal landscapes filled with sherbet-colored hills and a green ocean. The illustrations have a friendly cartoon style but also a sophistication that one expects from a book by Ruzzier.A smart look at a boy and his dog and their adventures together. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

With very few words, this is the story of a boy and his dog.In many ways, this is a simple book. The text is held to a bare minimum, staying on the simple one or two word commands a boy gives to his dog. The dog reacts. At first, it's simple, but as the story progresses, everything becomes more complex.The illustrations are lovingly done and carry the tale more than the words themselves. The relationship and imagination comes to light in the watercolor depictions and will have young listeners dreaming of all of the things they could do with their 'best friends'.When I picked this up for the first time, I immediately had the urge to read it to our dog. Out of curiosity, I left the book on the table and sure enough, every member of my household did the exact same thing. Our dog loved it, in other words, too.It's a simple, cute read which plays on the wonderful relationship of people and their pet dogs.

On my first read, it had a very familiar feel and I wondered why. It then occurred to me that it is almost the exact plot of a Wallace and Gromit episode called A Grand Day Out.That being said, this retelling was well done and my son enjoys it quite a lot.

Standard commands, like 'sit' & 'stay', slowly morph into imaginative, collaborative projects that take Boy & Dog on amazing adventures! The sweet ending lends a new meaning to 'good boy'.

Love all his books!

Mi hijo de 5 años es un fan de los personajes de Sergio Ruzzier. El libro es muy atractivo visualmente como lo son todos los del auto, en este caso lo recomiendo si quieres enseñarle a tu hijo un conjunto de verbos básicos (y no tan basicos, realmente) pero tendrás que inventar tu mismo el contexto de la historia en base a las viñetas dado que las únicas palabras escritas son los verbos mencionados (ejemplo: come, build, fix, turn over, juggle, ...)Todos encantados con el libro !!!