Officer Buckle & Gloria (Caldecott Medal Book) (Hardcover)

by Peggy Rathmann (Author) "Officer Buckle knew more safety tips than anyone else in Napville..." (more)
Key Phrases: Officer Buckle, Napville School

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Officer Buckle is a roly-poly bloke, dedicated to teaching schoolchildren important safety tips, such as never put anything in your ear and never stand on a swivel chair. The problem is, Officer Buckle's school assemblies are dull, dull, dull, and the children of Napville just sleep, sleep, sleep. That is, until Gloria the police dog is invited along! Stealthily pantomiming each safety tip behind Officer Buckle's back, Gloria wins the children's hearts. Meanwhile Officer Buckle assumes the cheers and laughter are all for him. As the master comedian Jerry Lewis once explained, every slapstick artist needs a straight man! Children will be highly entertained by the laugh-out-loud, adorable illustrations in this 1996 Caldecott Medal winner, while learning the value of teamwork and a pawful of nifty safety tips. (Ages 4 to 8) --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly
Rathmann (Good Night, Gorilla) brings a lighter-than-air comic touch to this outstanding, solid-as-a-brick picture book. Officer Buckle, a mustachioed policeman who wears a crossed-out-banana-peel patch on his sleeve, has a passion for teaching students about safety, but his audiences tend to doze off during his lectures. They awaken, however, when police dog Gloria joins Buckle onstage. As Buckle speaks, Gloria-behind Buckle's back-mimes each safety lesson (e.g., leaping sky-high for "Never leave a thumbtack where you might sit on it!" and making her fur stand on end to illustrate "Do not go swimming during electrical storms!"). School safety increases tenfold and Buckle and Gloria find themselves in great demand. But when he finally learns of his sidekick's secret sideshow, Buckle's feelings are terribly hurt. Rathmann's high-voltage cartoons, outlined in black ink for punchy contrast, capture her characters' every feeling, from Gloria's hammy glee and Buckle's surprised satisfaction to Gloria's shame at having tricked her partner. In a sound and sensitive conclusion, Gloria's disastrous attempt to go solo inspires Buckle's "best safety tip yet": "Always stick with your buddy!" As a bonus, equally sage sayings decorate the volume's endpapers. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile; Unknown edition (September 28, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399226168
• ISBN-13: 978-0399226168
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,826 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #2 in	Books > Children's Books > Issues > Safety > Fiction
  #25 in	Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dogs > Fiction
  #47 in	Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars G-L-O-R-I-A, GLORIA!, March 22, 2005

By	M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

One of "Saturday Night Live's" funnier Chevy Chase skits involved his mimicry of Jane Curtain's news delivery. Sitting next to and slightly behind Ms. Curtain, Chase mouths her words and copies her gestures. Jane, suspicious and discomfited by the audience's laughter, turns around, and Chase looks at her innocently, only to begin anew when she faces the camera again. Gloria the dog emulates this act in Peggy Rathmann's delightfully funny "Officer Buckle and Gloria."

In the sleepy, accident-prone town of Napville, Officer Buckle takes his safety lectures very seriously. No one else does. The students at the school auditorium are definitely not listening to him; various kids sleep, draw, and throw a paper airplane. One girl even has an accident while he's talking, spilling her yogurt on the floor. Things change dramatically (literally) when police dog Gloria begins to tag along. She accompanies him on stage, and copies his gestures as he delivers such zingers as "KEEP your SHOELACES tied." Gloria's antics spark the kids' interest, and when Buckle turns to Gloria to see what's up, she gives him a sweet and innocent smile.

Gloria's talents extend beyond mere mimicry, however, as she proceeds to act out various accidents that Buckle warns against. She flies in the air, for example, when he states the always enthralling "NEVER leave a THUMBTACK where you might SIT on it." In one hilarious two-page spread, the increasingly renowned Officer Buckle warns a college audience-and a TV crew-to not swim "DURING ELECTRICAL STORMS," and Gloria leaps up, her air looking electrified. Later, while munching popcorn in front of the TV, Officer Buckle discovers the real reason that his safety lectures became so popular. He looks at Gloria, who does one of her best impersonations yet-she looks positively sheepish. Man and dog are temporarily estranged, but eventually Officer Buckle, in an acknowledgement of Gloria as partner, thinks of his best safety tip yet: "ALWAYS STICK WITH YOUR BUDDY."

Rathmann's vibrant color selection, jokey pictures, and affection portrayal of officer and dog keep the interest level high. This very funny, well-structured book is another magnificent work by Rathmann. I recommend this very highly as a gift for yourself or others, especially for those who like mischievous, good-hearted dogs. For those who like mischievous, good-hearted gorillas, be sure to check out Rathmann's famous "Good Night, Gorilla."

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Officer Buckle and Gloria in the best book ever!!!, February 28, 2001

A Kid's Review

Officer Buckle & Gloria is great children's book for all ages. It is about a police officer that gets ignored by the children while he is reciting some important safety rules. But when he retrieves a dog named Gloria things change for Officer Buckle. This book is written by Peggy Rathmann. The new 2001 first lady (Laura Bush loves this book as well .She loves to take this book to schools when she visits.

My favorite part in the book is when Gloria was imitating a safety rule while officer Buckle was telling the safety: SAFETY TIP # 99 DO NOT GO SWIMMING DURRING ELETRICAL STORMS.I also love the part when Gloria did a flip in air in a class room.

I would recommend this terrific children's book to any kid in K- 4 gr.. Part of the book might need to be read to kindergartners and maybe first graders. Second and forth graders would love to read this hilarious book. This book also teaches kids some very important safety rules as well.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Safety and Teamwork are the name of the game!, July 23, 2003

By	Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Officer Buckle knows more about safety than anyone else. He gives talks about his tips to remain safe. Unfortunately his talks fall on deaf ears. Safety is just not interesting.

But then the force acquires a new police dog named Gloria. Gloria accompanies Officer Buckle to a talk. While Officer Buckle recites his list of safety tips, Gloria performs tricks to illustrate them. But Officer Buckle does not know Gloria is doing anything.

Suddenly the safety talks are a hit and Officer Buckle and Gloria are appearing everywhere. Then Officer Buckle sees himself on the news. He also sees what Gloria has been doing. He is not happy.

But by the end of the book, Officer Buckle and Gloria have learned their lessons and that teamwork is key to the success of the safety program.

Boy did my daughter love this book when I read it to her last night. She loves dogs and Gloria's antics were pure entertainment. She caught on to the teamwork message as well as some of the safety tips (most of which are visible as notes in the illustrations). She also liked the pictures (no gorillas or hamsters making appearances) especially Gloria signing autographs while Officer Buckle buys some ice cream.

A fun book that teaches some good lessons in a way children will follow. Bravo! It deserved the award it won (and it deserves others as well).