Loose Leashes [Hardcover]

Amy Schmidt (Author), Ron Schmidt (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Sixteen kid-friendly rhymes accompany funny photographic portraits of dogs in this delightful picture book. A salty dog’s lament of traveling the world is perfectly captured in ballad form; a finicky Yorkie expresses her bathing preferences in common meter; while a Paul Bunyan-esque golden lab celebrates the outdoors in haiku form. This collection of canine poems and photos will enchant dog lovers of all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dogs do the darnedest things in this collection of poem and photo tributes. They turn the bathroom sink into a home spa (I Will Not Go to the Groomer), overcome fears (Learning to Swim) and take the great American road trip (the title poem). Ron Schmidt's photography won't make William Wegman nervous; he doesn't push his subjects much beyond cute anthropomorphizing (a greyhound wearing Harry Potter–style glasses perches atop a stack of books), although he does produce a couple of marvels: a Weimaraner with all four paws seemingly tricked out in ice skates poses alone on a frozen pond; and a pair of Labs rows a boat, oars gripped in their mouths. Amy Schmidt's poems are more notable for their variety than for their wit or use of language: the genres include free verse, limerick, rollicking ballad and even haiku: Out among the pines/ A laberjack spends his day./ Timber!/ A tree falls. Ages 3–8. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4—This brief collection pairs 16 simple poems with full-color photographs of dogs wearing clothes, hats, and glasses, and posed in various human activities such as driving a toy car or blowing a large pink chewing-gum bubble. The critters are cute, though some also look uncomfortable, such as the pooch posed shakily atop two pair of ice skates on a frozen pond. The poems are unmemorable, including the title selection: "My leash was loose,/So now I'm off/To see the world,/Out on my own./Down country roads/And city streets,/In my red car,/Free and alone./Armed with my map,/I'm going far-/Just need to learn to drive this car." An appended spread of "Furry Facts" elaborates on each featured canine's character, including favorite songs and pet peeves.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (January 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375856412
• ISBN-13: 978-0375856419
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 0.4 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #921,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amy has been writing children's poetry and short stories for several years. She enjoys the challenge of finding the perfect rhyming words for her poems. "Creating poetry is like doing a jigsaw puzzle. I have all of these words that can be part of my poem - but they will only fit in a certain way. I need to figure out the right way to put them together to complete my poem puzzle."

Amy lives in New Jersey her husband, photographer Ron Schmidt, their two children and a gigantic white dog. She enjoys spending time with her family and advocating for animal welfare and literacy causes. To see more, please visit www.looseleashes.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from www.firrkids.com, March 17, 2009

By 

www.firrkids.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loose Leashes (Hardcover)

This is a book that no dog lover should be without! A collection of sixteen delightful poems are accompanied by some of the sweetest, funniest and most adorable dog photos ever. Truly a great collection that will tickle your funny bone.

Our group of kids were convulsed in laughter on the floor at the photos, let alone the poems. Several different breeds and all different sizes of dogs are featured doing all types of activities. We find dogs wearing glasses, towel turbans and skates. These dogs are bathing, sledding and boating. All this means the readers are left pointing, smiling and exclaiming.

Sharing this type of poetry with kids is a great way to get them laughing and having fun. They discover that it's possible to have fun with poetry, which leads to realizing it can also be fun to write poems. As far as kids are concerned, there is no learning here, but rather a group of personable dogs and silly stories.

As far as the photos are concerned - this is a top-notch collection of great variety - from sweet Chihuahuas sharing a bone to a lumberjack Labrador Retriever with a pine tree strapped across his back. The dogs' personalities come across in their expression and stature, with each name noted in the lower left corner. Accordingly, each poem is custom fit to the dog - some short and sweet, other longer and flowing. All wonderful!

The book is thoroughly enjoyable and provides a great introduction to poetic verse. Children will be drawn in by the photos and fall in love with the poetry. Truly this would be the jewel in the collection of any dog lover.

2.0 out of 5 stars ok. 'expected more., January 17, 2010

By 

codyaya "codyaya" (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Loose Leashes (Hardcover)

I'm a HUGE fan of this photographer, as seen on facebook. So, when I decided to order his book, I was rather disappointed. 'Not because of the quality or photographs, but because there are way too FEW of them! Really, this book should be much larger with many more photos than it has. 'Especially considering you can see his work for free online!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Funny, December 15, 2009

By 

Love to shop online "Brooklyn Girl" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Loose Leashes (Hardcover)

The photos are so much fun to look at and the poems are funny. I enjoyed this book and will be giving this book to all the kids in my family this Christmas.