Bonaparte [Hardcover]

DK Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

What's a hound who misses his boy to do?

Bonaparte is devastated. He is distraught. He is desolee. His boy, Jean Claude, has been sent away to La School d'Excellence. And the first rule of La School d'Excellence is NO DOGS ALLOWED. But Bonaparte is also determined- to see his beloved Jean Claude again. And so, on Monday morning, he marches up to the front door of the school. The registrar is firm: NO DOGS ALLOWED. Perhaps on Wednesday they'll believe he's a student; or, on Thursday, a drummer in the school band; or, on Friday, a lunch lady. Zut alors! His every attempt to see Jean Claude is thwarted. NO DOGS ALLOWED. Will Bonaparte finally make his way into La School d'Excellence? Mais oui...only to discover that Jean Claude, also desolee, is missing! Who better to sniff out the lost boy than his own beloved hound? Through the cafes and kiosks of Paris, across the wide boulevards, over farmers' cobbled walls, Bonaparte searches.... With magnificent drawings, full of details to discover with each new reading, Bonaparte is a cold-nosed, warm-hearted tale of liberte, egalite, and fraternite.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Zut alors! When Bonaparte's boy, Jean Claude, is sent away to La School d'Excellence, this poor pooch is left behind. "No Dogs Allowed," reads the sign on the front door of the school. But by hook or by crook, Bonaparte is determined to find his way back to his friend. He longs for the "warm lap where he'd sprawled, lumpy and baggy with ease. He dreamed of Jean Claude in a window, calling, his words too small to hear." Disguising himself variously as a mother, a janitor, a lunch lady, and a student, the lonely hound attempts to sneak into La School, only to be unceremoniously shown the door every time. But when Jean Claude is discovered to be missing, suddenly Bonaparte's skills as a tracking dog are sorely in demand.

From the cafés and fountains of Paris to the village alleys and stone walls of the countryside, illustrator Wendy Anderson Halperin takes readers on an unforgettable journey through France. Each two-page spread is framed in a decorative architectural pattern; divided boxes within trace Bonaparte's adventures. Marsha Wilson Chall's warm-hearted and amusing tale allows the love between best friends to shine through. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Fresh as a newly baked croissant, this delightful confection finds a lonely pooch longing for his young master's warm lap and "determined to find his boy" after Jean Claude is sent off to boarding school. Sadly, "La School d'Excellence" has a strict policy: "NO DOGS ALLOWED." This doesn't deter Bonaparte, however, who sniffs out Jean Claude's trail. Halperin's (Sophie and Rose) charming pencil and watercolor panel drawings chronicle the canine's route through the breathtaking streets of Paris, with its cafs, fountains and fruit stands (one heartbreaking vignette shows the furry fellow sleeping "on a pillow of stone" at the foot of a statue), until he storms the school's gates. He arrives daily in a different disguise as the boy's mother, he's twigged when he offers the registrar his dog license as I.D.; as a new drummer in the high school band, his tail (which wags "in four-quarter time") gives him away. The day Bonaparte turns up as the new janitor, his canine talents are finally appreciated: Jean Claude is discovered missing and it's up to Bonaparte to track him down. Chall's (Rupa Raises the Sun) narrative strikes just the right balance between humor and feelings of loss in this captivating dog-loses-boy, dog-gets-boy tale. Her words together with the artwork's elaborate borders and delicately detailed drawings will waltz straight off the pages and into readers' hearts. Encore! Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078942617X
• ISBN-13: 978-0789426178
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 7.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,763,406 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born and raised in Minnesota as an only child, Marsha Wilson Chall amused herself in daydream and now sets those dreams in the storyscapes of lakes, woods, prairie, and beyond (even France). She hopes her books invite the reader to explore new destinations, both outward and inward.

Chall has published a children's chapter book and eight picture books, including Pick a Pup, One Pup's Up, Up North at the Cabin, and Bonaparte. Her books have received numerous awards: an International Reading Association Teacher's Choice Award, American Booksellers Pick of the Lists, Parents Choice, NAPPA Gold Award, and Smithsonian Notable recognition.

When she's not writing or sharing her love of good books at schools or conferences, she enjoys teaching in the MFA program in Writing for Children and Young Adults at Hamline University. She has two grown children and lives on a small farm west of Minneapolis with her husband, dog, and barn cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great dog story!, August 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Bonaparte (Hardcover)

I adore this book. It's roll-on-the-floor funny, with one of the smartest dogs ever to grace the pages of a book. Buy this one for your kids--it'll quickly be one of their favorites. A true child-and-his-dog story, in which Bonaparte tries every trick and every disguise to break into the boarding school where his best friend has gone. The illustrations are filled with new things to look at every time I open the book. How does the illustrator do that?! Thanks, Ms. Chall, for writing such a terrific book and Ms. Halperin for illustrating it so well.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A four-year-old favorite, January 22, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Bonaparte (Hardcover)

My four-year-old daughter loves this humorously written and illustrated book about a loyal dog in search of his boy. It's one of the top 15 books she listened to last year.

5.0 out of 5 stars Used book.. excellent ., August 22, 2011

By 

D. Lynn Ducker (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bonaparte (Hardcover)

My granddaughter loved this book upon site when we found it at the local library and we checked it out so many times I decided to buy it. I chose a used book and it was in excellent condition. It was delivered prompltly and I would defininetly use this seller again. Very happy with the book and the seller.