No Dogs Allowed! [Hardcover]

Sonia Manzano (Author), Jon J Muth (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2004 | Age Level: 3 and up

This is Iris.

And this is her family:

Shorty the Fortune-teller,Mami the Busy, Papi the Clever, Carmen the Beautiful, plus the Wise Old People, Don Joe the Grocer, and, of course, El Exigente, the Dog (who's very good at sleeping).

Everyone, especially El Exigente, is excited to go to the lake...but will they EVER get there?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Everything is a production for Iris's extended Puerto Rican family and several of their neighbors. Readers know this almost immediately as the girl describes their convoluted trek from a Bronx neighborhood to the "Enchanted State Park." Everyone brings as much as he or she can carry, from a deli counter to a copy of War and Peace. When they finally arrive, Iris discovers that her dog, El Exigente, is not allowed in the park and each person takes a turn dog-sitting him in the parking lot until the busy day ends. Muth's lively watercolor illustrations do much for this overwritten and too-earnest story. They imbue the characters with personality and extend the humor of the tale. One spread shows a seemingly endless line of colorful, heavily packed cars stretching from end to end. When the travelers get lost, the accompanying picture shows their cars on a maze of intersecting roads that wind around to spell out "oops." The illustrations take varying perspectives, from ground-level shots to aerial angles. They effectively portray the numerous characters, bringing individuals to the foreground as if being viewed through a camera. The expressive artwork makes this mediocre story seem to be much more than it actually is.–Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. Though its cover is emblazoned with "Written by MARIA from Sesame Street," there's nary a Muppet to be found inside Manzano's picture-book debut. Instead, readers will find a fanciful, urban tall tale about a Latino family's expedition from the Bronx to the beach, narrated by six-year-old Iris. The dog, extended family, and "neighbors from the tri-state area" all come along, too, toting everything from a multicourse banquet and a piano to a traveling game of dominoes. A series of obstacles (engine trouble, a navigational mishap, a beach marked "No Dogs Allowed") intensify the participants' appreciation for the fleeting fun in the sun they finally enjoy. Muth, illustrator of Old Turtle and the Broken Truth (2003) and other books, captures the silliness to perfection, buoying up Manzano's overlong text with his distinctive, spidery line-and-watercolor images. The humor of a simple outing that balloons into a fiesta may resonate most strongly with families for whom "small" and "family gathering" are contradictions in terms, but the anything-goes sensibility has universal appeal. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (March 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689830882
• ISBN-13: 978-0689830884
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #714,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Colorful story is a day at the beach, April 13, 2004

By 

Lorenzo Tijerina (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Dogs Allowed! (Hardcover)

Sonia Manzano makes magic out of the un-urbane urban life in "No Dogs Allowed." She brings her years of experience enchanting ordinary city living straight from Sesame Street, where she has won 15 Emmys as a staff writer and played the role of Maria for over 30 years.
In her first attempt at children's literature, Manzano continues to represent Latinas as strong, creative individuals with her main character, Iris. But the story line also gives Manzano the opportunity to study many of the other diverse characters that fill Iris' life.
Recounted in the first person by Iris, the tale, at times, compels the reader to sing, "These are the people in her neighborhood, in her neighborhood..." Well, at least for this reader.
The plot is simple: Iris' extended family, along with a dozen of their closest friends, and the grocer, head to the beach at Enchanted Lake for a picnic.
But, along the way, they encounter logistical complications. They get lost and cars break down. Luckily, the caravan brings a copious supply of food, books, and love to keep them occupied on their long journey. Iris entertains herself by playing with her dog, El Exigente.
Although spirits remain undamped by the challenges the group gallantly engages, a single sign casts a dark cloud over what should have been a picture-perfect picnic: "NO DOGS ALLOWED."
Not to worry. Teamwork and a little ingenuity save the day and a good time is had by all, including the dog, the one being read to and the reader.

Manzano's characters - while oversimplified conventions with names like Mami the Busy and Carmen the Beautiful - are familiar and full of life.
The illustrations by Jon Muth capture the chaos and beauty of family outings, exaggerating the discord of it all. A fine balance is created by his strong, distinct pen and soft water colors. At times his work, the penultimate depiction showing a panoramic view of a sunset, for example, is surprisingly poignant and hauntingly beautiful.
Animated, vigorous, and fun, "No Dogs Allowed" is a comforting story set in a mixed up world, appropriate for these uncertain times.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Maria. I'll never stop reading Maria., October 18, 2005

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Dogs Allowed! (Hardcover)

Bear with me here. When I was three-years-old I enjoyed listening to showtunes. "Annie", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Peter Pan", that sort of thing. One day, I was planted firmly on the carpet listening to a cast recording of "Godspell". According to my mother (who has far clearer memories of this event than I do) I apparently I tried to draw her attention to the fact that Maria from Sesame Street was singing a song. Mom patiently attempted to explain to me that I wasn't listening to my Sesame Street record. I was listening to "Godspell". As it happens, I was right. Sure enough, Sonia Manzano can be heard putting on some mighty slinky moves in that crowd pleaser of a song, "Turn Back Oh Man". My point here is that even from a very young age I could pick out Sonia Manzano's voice in unfamiliar places. And now, at the ripe old age of twenty-seven, I am delighted to point her out yet again in the unfamiliar world of picture book publishing. To be honest, Ms. Manzano's first children's book, "No Dogs Allowed" is not the most interesting book of its kind. It would not read aloud well to large groups of kids nor will all children find it interesting. That said, I'm (as you might be able to tell) heavily biased towards Ms. Manzano and she could probably blindfold herself and randomly slap keys on a keyboard and I'd declare the result brilliant. Even though I cannot wholeheartedly recommend this book to every person in the world, I do recommend it to you. Because it's by Maria, and I love her very much.

Iris has, what you might call, a large extended family. Her immediate family consists of her Papi the Clever, Mami the Busy, sister Shorty the Fortune-teller (being a teenager Shorty tells the future by rolling her eyes and saying, "I told you so" after the fact), and El Exigente the perpetually sleeping dog. There's also cousin Carmen the beautiful, Marta the Smart, Tuta and Juan the newly married couple, Don Joe the Grocer, and a pack of Wise Old People who play a game of dominoes, ("they started one hundred years ago when they were young in Puerto Rico"). Whew! Got everybody? Good, because everybody's going to the beach. Bringing along their various accoutrements, the caravan of cars proceeds to go to the lake in the Enchanted State Park. After various mishaps and breakdowns everyone makes it BUT there's a problem. A "No Dogs Allowed" on the beach problem. No one can figure out what to do, but while they're thinking they decides to relax on the sand and take turns watching El Exigente in the parking lot. By the end of the day, "we never DID figure out what to do", but it hardly matters anymore. Everyone had a good time and it's back home they go after a long and eventful day.

The story is cute, very New York, and seems by the clothing and the cars to take place in the early to mid-nineteen sixties. Manzano keeps the action clipping along and puts in enough gentle jokes and family connections to appeal to grown-up readers. The illustrations are by the greatly accomplished why-has-this-man-not-won-a-Caldecott-yet illustrator Jon J. Muth of "Gershon's Monster" fame. Muth has picked up the flavor of the book and gives each eccentric his due. Whether you're watching the permanently lip-locked newly married couple grope, cousin Carmen the Beautiful strut, or El Exigente don glasses and a grey felt hat to play some dominoes, you're gonna like these pictures. The watercolors are lush, the details intricate, and the pen-and-ink meticulous. I did have to wonder if Muth was once a Sesame Street watcher himself. The Papi in the family apparently knows how to fix toasters. Hmmmm....

Now, the problem comes when you first meet the extended family. If you read my description of the plot and found yourself thinking that the number of characters was a little excessive, you're not far off. The book gets a little bogged down with the constant references to the large group and though it will obviously be much beloved after a second or third reading, it's that first one that really counts. If the large group was introduced right from the get-go, it might be another matter, but they first appear when Iris explains who is coming on the trip. The logical question of "Why?", remains unanswered. It's ridiculous without the whimsy required in picture book surrealism.

Nonetheless, it's hard to fault a book that looks and feels so nice. Even if the child you present this to doesn't happen to enjoy, "No Dogs Allowed", this is not to say that another child won't. Definitely take it for a spin before making a hasty purchase. Ms. Manzano has a nice literary voice here. I can only hope that it spins us a couple more yarns in the years to come. In fact, I'd be much obliged.

5.0 out of 5 stars Really fun, marvelous book, October 28, 2010

By 

AndreaSJ (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Dogs Allowed! (Paperback)

This is a great book. The plot is interesting, the characters strong and full of life, the pictures fun to look at - really a marvelous book to share with kids. I got one free in a Cheerios box several years ago, and now I am about to buy another, in a more durable format, for a sibling. I look forward to this book again making the "popular" list with my family.