McDuff's Wild Romp (McDuff Stories) [Hardcover]

Rosemary Wells (Author), Susan Jeffers (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up | Series: McDuff Stories

In the car, McDuff knew immediately they were not heading for Lake Ocarina, or the Take-Out Steak-Out, or Dog Training School. He knew they were going to Aunt Frieda's house. Aunt Frieda's house means only one thing to McDuff-mean, old Purlina the cat! Purlina shows her claws and clicks her teeth at McDuff. She won't even let him sit on the sofa. When an Organic Turkey Tidbit falls from the dinner table, a mad chase ensues.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–The beloved McDuff is back, this time for a wacky confrontation with an ugly and mean-spirited cat named Purlina. Sunday dinner with Aunt Frieda and Uncle Nate should be a fun time for the pup and his humans. However, when the baby drops a Turkey Tidbit, the whole thing turns into one big fiasco with fur, claws, and family members flying all over the place. Peace is restored, but then the child drops another Tidbit, saying, "Again!" Where richly colored and detailed scenes of a dreamy retro town in previous volumes delighted children, the cartoon, rough-draftlike pictures here fall flat. The original art showed every hair on McDuff's head, making the lovable Westie real enough to pat. Libraries would do better to purchase new copies of the earlier books.–Bina Williams, Bridgeport Public Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS. The cute West Highland terrier McDuff is back. This time he has accompanied his owners on a visit to Aunt Frieda for an unexpectedly eventful Sunday dinner. McDuff loves the baby's turkey tidbits, but so does Frieda's cat, Purlina, who shows more claws than hospitality. When one of the coveted snacks falls from the baby's tray, the ensuing battle results in general havoc. McDuff, though tidbit victorious, ends up in the doghouse, and the mayhem threatens to begin anew when the baby tosses her last tidbit on the floor, uttering one telling word: "Again!" Although the humans aren't always clearly identified in the art, the colorful illustrations capture days gone by with vintage detail and a sense of nostalgia, and Jeffers' varying perspectives and occasional multipanel views put children right in the center of the action. This new story, part of the McDuff Stories series, will have solid appeal for children (and adults) who delight in cute pooches and in dog stories in general. Shelle Rosenfeld
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786819308
• ISBN-13: 978-0786819300
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,079,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." Her childhood years were spent between her parents' home near Red Bank, New Jersey, and her grandmother's rambling stucco house on the Jersey Shore. Most of her sentimental memories, both good and bad, stem from that place and time. Her mother was a dancer in the Russian Ballet, and her father a playwright and actor. Mrs. Wells says, "Both my parents flooded me with books and stories. My grandmother took me on special trips to the theater and museums in New York. "Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions, published by Candlewick. Wells wrote and illustrated Unfortunately Harriet, her first book with Dial, in 1972. One year later she wrote the popular Noisy Nora. "The children and our home life have inspired, in part, many of my books. Our West Highland white terrier, Angus, had the shape and expressions to become Benjamin and Tulip, Timothy, and all the other animals I have made up for my stories." Her daughters Victoria and Beezoo were constant inspirations, especially for the now famous "Max" board book series. "Simple incidents from childhood are universal," Wells says. "The dynamics between older and younger siblings are common to all families."But not all of Wells' ideas come from within the family circle. Many times when speaking, Mrs. Wells is asked where her ideas come from. She usually answers, "It's a writer's job to have ideas." Sometimes an idea comes from something she reads or hears about, as in the case of her recent book, Mary on Horseback, a story based on the life of Mary Breckenridge, who founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Timothy Goes to School was based on an incident in which her daughter was teased for wearing the wrong clothes to a Christmas concert. Her dogs, west highland terriers, Lucy and Snowy, work their way into her drawings in expression and body position. She admits, "I put into my books all of the things I remember. I am an accomplished eavesdropper in restaurants, trains, and gatherings of any kind. These remembrances are jumbled up and changed because fiction is always more palatable than truth. Memories become more true as they are honed and whittled into characters and stories."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars McDuff's Wild Romp, October 1, 2005

By 

Karen Aaserud "Karen Aaserud" (Edgewood, WA United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: McDuff's Wild Romp (McDuff Stories) (Hardcover)

A little disappointed, as I don't think it's of the same quality as the other McDuff books. Still fun read for kids, however!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 10, 2007

By 

L. Braun "readingmommy" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: McDuff's Wild Romp (McDuff Stories) (Hardcover)

I was so excited to see another title in the McDuff series, a beloved set of books in our house. Unfortunately, Rosemary Wells has not stayed with her original illustrator. One look at the pictures and I didn't even want to buy this book. It's too bad. We'll stick with the 2 sets of the rest of the McDuff books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Such low quality, can hardly believe it is the same author or illustrator, January 12, 2011

By 

Professor and Dad (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: McDuff's Wild Romp (McDuff Stories) (Hardcover)

We have only 1 McDuff book: McDuff and the Baby, and we love it. Beautiful story, emotional themes to talk about with young children, realistic and evocative pictures. So when I saw this book at the library, I grabbed it without even opening it. "Hooray", I thought, "another McDuff book to enjoy". Then we got home and settled down to read it. I have to say, I rechecked the cover more than once to make sure it really was Mary Wells and Susan Jeffers again. I certainly would never have thought so otherwise. Very flat, simplified drawings with no spirit in them as in the other book. The story was completely negative and upsetting for my toddler. When we got to the picture of the cat attacking McDuff's thrown-down torso with her fangs, I was blown out of the water. Later in the book, I found that McDuff was blamed for everything, labeled "bad", and the house was wrecked. Not a whole lot of emotional resonance there for a young one, and no resolution or love at the end.

Big thumbs-down on this one. Sounds from reviews like all the other McDuff books are great except this one.