Customer Reviews

Dingle: The Helpful Ice Cream Cone Delivery Dog

5 star:		(5)
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2 star:		(1)
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DINGLE: THE HELPFUL ICE CREAM CONE DELIVERY DOG may on the surface seem like a just another pert and reader-friendly book for children. That is until the background of author Audrey Kinsella is reviewed. Before coming to children's stories she has been a significant contributor as a librarian, a writer of articles on healthcare, and books on telecommunications, the elderly and the disabled. With such a background of compassionate service it comes as no surprise that this little book is much more than the delightful surface indicates.

Dingle is just an ordinary devoted dog belonging to a senior, wheelchair bound Aunt Reeny - a woman who does not see her disability as a cloud but instead insists that she can get along very well without copious aid from her family - 'everything just takes a little longer'. Dingle overhears her statement that Aunt Reeny sees no need for a 'service dog' and that ignites a spark in Dingle's imagination. Primarily because of Aunt Reeny's atmosphere of personal autonomy, Dingle sets out to find a way to make Aunt Reeny's life easier, and consults a dog friend Rex who wears a saddlebag to carry bottled water for the man who walks him. Dingle takes up the idea, gathers the necessary implements and with the help of Aunt Reeny's college student nephew Roddy, designs a version of a saddlebag that will carry something special for Aunt Reeny - something she may not 'need' but that will bring her happiness. And the next very hot day Aunt Reeny and her family decide they need a trip to Ice Cream Dreams for refreshment and relief from the heat. But the trip in the wheelchair and the heat slow Aunt Reeny down and she must take a rest. But something new happens: enter Roddy and Dingle with a saddle bag filled with cooling ice cream cones - an unexpected but cherished gift for Aunt Reeny - and a fine source of pride for the thoughtful 'service dog' Dingle.

Kinsella writes well and adds something to the format of this book that will help both children and reader alike: the story related in the usual 'comic book clouds' coming from each character is repeated in larger print in a box at the bottom of each page. The illustrations by Susan Anderson-Shorter are charming and make the story easily visible to the youngest reader. This is a very fine children's book form an author with a sensitive approach to the world of children's literature, guiding children to notice and appreciate disabled people in a very positive light. There hopefully will be more books by this unique author! Grady Harp, July 10

I have great respect for 'service dogs.' I believe they are a blessing to many, many people. In this great book we meet, Dingle. Dingle belongs to Aunt Reeny who is in a wheel chair. Aunt Reeny can do just about everything, but her family and Dingle know that sometimes everyone needs help.

Dingle decides to take matters in his own hands and with the help of a service dog named, Rex, and Roddy, Aunt Reeny's nephew, he comes up with a plan to make Aunt Reeny's life easier using himself to help. He is very inventive to say the least.

This is a delightful story, full of truth, love and imagination that children will adore. It is also a story that brings to light that everyone, human and animal can help each other in sometimes unusual ways. It is warm, fresh and a learning experience for young and old. Very nice book.

This is one of my nephews favorite books. As soon as he opened it, he was instantly hooked. Parents will love how this book teaches kids to help.

Dingle the Dog teaches kids that even if others don't think they need your help or want your help, that everyone can help! A great message for youths and this book is a good read at home or at school, for teachers, mothers, and fathers. I enjoy the art illustrations and the story is easy to follow, with fun bubbles aobve the characters to read along as well as on the bottom of each page!

A fun story with a message.

Dog lovers will also love this story and i hope others get a chance to pick this up and read it!

A Dog tale with a great message!

Recommended to Kindergarten level and reviewed by Ami Blackwelder!

Hot Gossip Hot REviews

Children that adore dogs will love this book. Dingle is a pleasant dog, owned by an elderly woman confined to a wheelchair, he considers himself underutilized. His owner feels that she can do everything she needs to do, so there is no need for a service dog. However, Dingle doesn't conform to that point of view, he wants to find something that he can do besides being a "good dog."
Fortunately, he encounters a dog that is wearing a harness that contains drinks and snacks for his walker and himself. This gives Dingle an idea and with the help of a young man back from college, a similar harness is constructed that will allow Dingle to carry things. The harness works to perfection and now Dingle can be his own special type of service dog.
When I examine books for children, I always ask myself if my daughter would have enjoyed it when she was young. I read hundreds of books to her when she was an infant, some of them more times that I like to remember. This is one that she would have loved, even though she was not fond of dogs. The illustrations are done with "mild colors", something that I prefer in children's books. In my experience, gaudy colors tend to overwhelm the visual sense of a child.

Dingle is a dog who wants to help people like his dog friend Rex. How he is going do so is up to him.

There were a few things I didn't understand with this book. In the beginning the art is in comic book form, characters with word bubbles and below the images the same words again. I don't understand for what reason this is done especially since it is only done halfway through out the book.

The book also felt like it needed more story. You get to the last page and you already know the end because of the bi line. I feel like we get to the climax and then end the story.

If I were rating by the art it would be a 4 out of 5 but since it is the story I am rating, I am disappointed.

Reviewed by: Stories for Children Magazine editor-in-chief, VS Grenier

Dingle is a dog who really wants to be more than an average pet. He wants to be special and help those he loves. However, Dingle is not sure how he can help. He knows there are dogs that help their human friends with everyday life, but his human doesn't seem willing to have those who love her help. What is a dog to do?

Children will enjoy learning about helping others as Dingle sets out to help those he loves and in the process gets help from others, too. The colorful illustrations are fun and really show Dingle's personality.

The only downside to the book, at least for my family, was the text being in two places on the page. My little one would read the talk bubbles and then the box of text on each page. She would then turn to me and asked why it said the same thing twice. I found this to be a distraction for beginning readers. Otherwise, the story is very cute and one children will enjoy.

Aunt Reeny is disabled and in a wheel chair. She agrees that service dogs are helpful, but just aren't for her. She can already do everything she needs, it just takes time. Dingle, the family dog wants to help! When an idea comes to him, he starts on the path to being a helpful dog. With Help from his friend, he gathers all the tools he will need. Soon Roddy, Aunt Reeny's nephew, discovers Dingles plan and starts helping Dingle with his secret surprise. The day finally comes when Dingle can help Aunt Reeny and the family! It is a hot day and the family goes out for ice cream. The line is long and Aunt Reeny is tired and hot. Dingle surprised everyone by bringing ice cream in the pouches he carries. Dingle has become the helpful ice cream cone delivery dog.

What my daughter had to say: (age 4)
"It is kinda funny because it was a doggy who wanted stuff to help. He delivered ice cream. That's funny."

I really enjoyed the moral of this story. The author portrays Aunt Reeny as a woman who can still do things on her own, it just takes more time. Her family helps, but Dingle wants to help also. He doesn't want just pats and the comment "good dog". The story is about persistence, planning and being helpful which makes a great lesson for any child. While I really liked the story itself, I didn't like the set up and delivery of the story. It is not set up in a fashion that is easy for younger kids to understand. The sentence structure is more of a thought rather than a complete sentence. While I feel that "bubble" thoughts are not great for kid's books, the author does a good job of putting all the thoughts into the sentences also. The problem is the sentence structure is awkward. They read like staggered thoughts instead of complete thoughts. For example, instead of using phrases like "Aunt Reeny said" or "Dingle thought" the individual speaking or thinking just states a thought or part of a thought and the difference between individuals speaking is signaled by a change in font color. For younger children this set up does not work. They aren't able to understand a color change as they are not reading it, so the reader must add lib to the child know who is speaking. It wasn't a very enjoyable format to read, even though I understood it. As a result I would suggest this book for kids ages 7 - 10 who would better understand who is speaking based on pictures with "bubble" thoughts and the shift in font color. I would suggest the book for ages 3-7 based on the subject matter and interest level.

Dingle the Very Helpful Ice Cream Cone Delivery Dog is a short book full of potential. It teaches a wonderful lesson while approaching the subject of disabilities, something almost everyone is affected by whether on their own or because of a family member or friend. It is hard to pin point a target audience with this book, but was worth the read. I was able to discuss the book with my daughter and she did enjoy the dog delivering the ice-cream!

Reviewed for bookpleasures