Letters from the Campaign Trail: LaRue for Mayor [Hardcover]

Mark Teague (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Canine everyman Ike LaRue returns to take on the political machine in this gleeful tale, the third of Mark Teague's best selling, award winning DEAR MRS. LARUE series.

Ike finds his civil liberties at risk when Hugo Bugwort, the hard line mayoral candidate, promises to crack down on free-roaming, fun-loving dogs. As the anti-dog rhetoric escalates, Ike is compelled to join the political fray and run for mayor himself. Bugwort rethinks his pooch-policies when Ike selflessly helps rescue him after he collapses at a campaign rally. Told through letters to Mrs. LaRue and local newspaper accounts, Mark Teague delivers another excellent execution of split-screen visuals and uproarious escapades of the unforgettable Ike.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Teague developed his writing and painting talents without formal training but with a healthy dose of imagination. Each of Teague's books starts as "notebooks full of sketches and scribbles, strange little drawings, and phrases that seem mostly cryptic that suddenly come together," he explains. His books tackle everything from first graders coping with life on Mars to Shakespearean characters coping with life on earth. Mischievous dinosaurs, witty dogs, nightmare haircuts, messy rooms, closet monsters - all find their way into Teague's wildly inventive books. Teague has also collaborated with many critically acclaimed authors, including Jane Yolen, Audrey Wood, and Cynthia Rylant. He lives in upstate New York with his wife and two daughters. For more information about Mark Teague, visit scholastic.com/tradebooks

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: The Blue Sky Press; First edition. edition (March 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439783151
• ISBN-13: 978-0439783156
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #430,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Like Ike, February 18, 2008

By 

Ami Hassler "www.bookami.com" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters from the Campaign Trail: LaRue for Mayor (Hardcover)

While by nature I'm more of a cat person (I have two), I can't help but think that a lovely little dog like Ike LaRue would make life a lot of fun. LaRue for Mayor is the third book in which Ike has wowed readers with his cunning intelligence, playful antics and knack for being in the right place at the right time.

In this third book, Mrs. LaRue is in the hospital, and Ike is writing her to complain how unjust it is that dog-hater Hugo Bugwort is running for Mayor of Snort City. Sure some dogs over-turned a hot-dog cart and disrupted a baseball game, but isn't that just the spirited behavior of a few dogs? Should Bugwort be proposing a leash law, a curfew and a ban on canines in most public places? Ike thinks not, and decides to run for Mayor himself.

Teague really has created a wonderful picture book that will appeal to both children and adults. For kids there are bold, brightly colored illustrations of dogs behaving rather mischievously. For adults there are the contrasting black and white illustrations of Ike imagining his actions to be more grandiose than they really are. Ike is a small dog with a big personality, and I can't say it any better than to say I LIKE IKE. I think you will too.

For the rest of this review and other reading suggestions, see my site.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Book Review: LaRue for Mayor, April 26, 2008

By 

T. Jonker - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Letters from the Campaign Trail: LaRue for Mayor (Hardcover)

With election season in full tilt "LaRue for Mayor" comes along to join in the politicking.

The plot is this: Hugo Bugwort is running for mayor and he is a very anti-dog candidate. Ike sabotages Bugwort's campaign and eventually tries to start his own candidacy.

If you're reading a LaRue book (there have been two previous titles), you're gonna get two things: written correspondence and vocab. "Mayor" continues this trend. In the first page Mrs. LaRue is sent to the hospital, forcing her dog, Ike, to communicate with her through letters. The gaps in the story are filled in nicely with articles from the daily newspaper. I'm sure that inventive teachers have used LaRue books for teaching letter writing - they can now incorporate "Mayor" as well.

Some sample vocabulary? Perilous, scurrilous, doubtless - these are not your run of the mill words for a picture book. And that's just a sample from one page. You've got to hand it to Mark Teague for using this language in a context that will help kids understand it. That's learning y'all!

The artwork is spot on. Do I need to mention that this is Mr. Teague we're talking about? The man's already on Children's Lit Rushmore (well, my Children's Lit Rushmore - ask to see the plaster of paris model I'm working on in my garage), and really requires no further comment other than "It's the cat's pajamas".

The storyline is where I start to have some hesitations. The plot makes sense, but it's not quite as compelling as the previous "LaRue" installments. Ike filling in Mrs. LaRue about the state of Bugwort's campaign didn't have me turning the pages with the same level anticipation as in the past. This is, mind you, a minor quibble with an overall winner.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We Like Ike!!, February 21, 2008

By 

metal fan usa (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters from the Campaign Trail: LaRue for Mayor (Hardcover)

My 12 year old daughter and I have been waiting for the 3rd Ike LaRue book, so when she came home from school today and saw it waiting for her she lit up and was so excited!! She sat down and started reading right away, instead of turning on the the TV (Thank you Mark Teague!)..

Highly recommend all 3 books, so much fun.