The Bookshop Dog (Scholastic Press) [Hardcover]

Cynthia Rylant (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Scholastic Press

Oscar needs a friend. When at last he finds another bear to play with, his enthusiasm nearly ends the friendship before it has begun. How can Oscar persuade Ollie to join in? The story ends happily and more adventures are planned.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Business is booming at Martha Jane's Bookshop, because everyone in town loves Martha Jane, the owner's dog. In fact, they love her so much that when the owner gets sick and needs a dog-sitter, fights break out over who should do the honors. Martha Jane helps settle things amicably?and nets her owner a husband in the process. It's a diverting tale, and Rylant delivers it with an understated sense of humor. Her illustrations, on the other hand, might dazzle a peacock with their loud combinations of clashing colors. As in her self-illustrated Dog Heaven and The Whales, she substitutes a faux-primitive style for a mastery of draftsmanship. Not only do the pictures fail to add anything to what's told in the text, they in fact detract from the careful crafting of the prose. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3?The owner of "Martha Jane's Bookshop" loves her dog so much that she has named her store after the pup. This causes come confusion, as everyone thinks Martha Jane is the proprietor. The action in the tale springs from the hospitalization of the unnamed owner, and the neighborhood's competition to care for Martha Jane. Finally the pooch chooses a man who often brings her a bone. "The woman and the big man liked each other so much that they got married. Martha Jane went on the honeymoon, of course." Martha Jane is the star of this tale, and the humans around her, including the interracial newlyweds, are cardboard. Rylant's full-color illustrations are deep-hued and childlike, with vivid decorated borders surrounding each spread. Their effect is primitive and pleasing. The language, however, is void of Rylant's typical sense of play or poetry. The message, that adults can come together through the love of a dog, lacks insight. Martha Jane is a stolid protagonist, but pales in the shadow of Martha in Susan Meddaugh's Martha Speaks (Houghton, 1992). In the end, this tale is simply a paean to a puppy. There is little tension to grab young audiences.?Carolyn Noah, Central Mass. Regional Library System, Worcester, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Blue Sky Press (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590543318
• ISBN-13: 978-0590543316
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4 1/2* Who Do You Love, July 27, 2005

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bookshop Dog (Scholastic Press) (Hardcover)

Choosing a friend can be very difficult, and recent experience tells me that maintaining a friendship can be even more so. Prolific author/illustrator Cynthia Rylant addresses the "choosing" aspect of friendships in this humorous book about a bookstore owner and her dog, "Martha Jane."

The unnamed owner and her dog are inseparable; the human even names her store "Martha Jane's Bookshop." New customers assume that this is the owner's name, and when they ask to speak with her, they find themselves shaking hands with a dog! After this setup, Rylant introduces us to the popular dog's many friends: The green-coated man who feeds and pets her, and the postman, the policeman, and the band director who each teach Martha a trick related to their own profession. (For example, "the postman taught Martha Jane how to fetch the mail.")

One day, however, the bookshop owner must go to the hospital to have her tonsils removed. There's a dilemma--whom she choose to dog sit Martha Jane? The loveable dog has plenty of suitors: The policeman, the postman, the band director, and several children compete for dog sitting honors. In fact, "things get a little nasty."

"The policeman told the postman to take his junk mail and stuff it down his pants. The postman told the band director to go blow his horn. The band director blew his horn in the policeman's ear. And some of the children swatted each other with their bags of kibble."

Rylant seems to say that some people go a bit too far to "win" a friendship. However, when the green-coated man comes to Martha Jane with food, affection, and kind words, Martha makes up her mind. The book closes happily: The townspeople make up, the bookshop owner and the green-coated man get married, and Martha Jones (looking slightly scared) surfs the waves on the post-wedding trip to Hawaii! While things are tied up somewhat too neatly, the narrative shows that the most unselfish and least self-centered person was the person Martha Jane trusted enough to take care of her. An alternative conclusion (maybe a better one) might have skipped the quick marriage, and pointed out how a loveable dog (or boy or girl) can have many friends along with those few he or she trusts the most. Still, the book has its own sweet logic, some funny moments born of confusion and conflict, and it conveys the close bond between people and their pets. Rylant's vividly colored illustrations are inviting, and the childlike forms framed by bright designs make this an informal, welcoming book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Ms. Rylant!, October 22, 1999

By 

S.P. Alvares (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bookshop Dog (Scholastic Press) (Hardcover)

This is another wonderful children's book that my kids want me to read again and again. It has beautiful illustrations and the point of the story is made in such a way that children can easily understand. I highly recommend this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a heart-warming story for "kids" of all ages!, May 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bookshop Dog (Scholastic Press) (Hardcover)

This book is a charming and humorous story about a very loved dog. The illustrations are wonderful, because they are simple, colorful, and happy! Time and time again, my young students pick this one from the shelf for a read-aloud.