Please, Puppy, Please [Hardcover]

Spike Lee (Author)

Book Description

Release date: November 1, 2005 | Age Range: 2 and up

Away from the gate,

puppy puppy, please, puppy.

Oh wait, puppy, wait,

please, please, please,

please....

In page after page of tail-wagging fun, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Beacon Award-winning producer Tonya Lewis Lee, take a close-up look at what happens when a couple of high-energy toddlers meet their match in an adventurous pup who has no plans of letting up.

Irresistible illustrations by Coretta Scott King Award winner Kadir Nelson unleash countless memorable moments of toddlerhood, and puppyhood, which families with four-legged friends will enjoy over and over again.

A Children's Book-of-the-Month

Club Main Selection

A Black Expressions Book Club

Featured Selection

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1–Two young children celebrate the joy and challenges of life with their new pet. Puppy is exuberant, energetic, and as undisciplined as can be. The kids are thrilled with their uncontrollable new friend, chasing him, playing with him, and trying to get him to behave. In the spare text, the authors' repetitive dialogue rings true, echoing the sounds of children's excited screams and squeals. Nelson's illustrations are full of movement, switching perspective often to create a frenzied atmosphere. The children and puppy are appealing, dominating each page and keeping the focus clearly on the action. This book would be fun to read to a group, small or large, and the text is easy enough for beginning readers.–Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. Reprising the theme from their earlier collaboration, Please, Baby, Please (2002), filmmaker Lee and his wife, a producer, turn the tables by putting the toddlers in charge this time. Although adults reading this aloud will smile knowingly as the young African American boy and girl plead in vain for their puppy to listen to directions, young readers and listeners may not appreciate the irony. Even so, they'll enjoy the exuberant pup's antics, which Nelson captures from a variety of perspectives in colorful, energetic illustrations: the puppy leaps into the air, rolls in mud, bounds out of his bath, and shakes water all over himself, the children, and the cat. The conscientious youngsters chase him, imploring their "baby" to behave. Picture books featuring children of color that don't make ethnicity the focus of the story are needed in all collections; this one is particularly accessible and fun. Diane Foote
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689868049
• ISBN-13: 978-0689868047
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 0.4 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #29,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > African-American
  • #74 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pets

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars there are no bad dogs March 1, 2006

By Mike

Format:Hardcover

(I have to write reviews for a class I'm in so here's mine for this book):

Kids love puppies and puppies love trouble. Please, Puppy, Please follows a brother and sister and their new and highly mischievous puppy. Inside, the puppy tears up newspaper and makes a mess. Outside, the puppy escapes, gets chased by the children, roles in the mud and makes a mess. After his bath, the puppy shakes water on everyone, and makes a mess. The story is very simplistic but not simple. There is only one sentence on each page but anyone who has ever tried to raise a puppy will instantly know how complex each of those sentences can be with a stubborn puppy. The text follows a poetic structure of having the children wanting the puppy to do something followed by puppy please, please, please (or something similar). The puppy wants nothing to do with these requests, wishing to create his own fun. Fans of the Lees' other book Please, Baby, Please will instantly recognize the same warm illustrations provided by Kadir Nelson. Nelson's soft colors add to the welcoming feel of this book. For all of the troubles that puppies cause to everyone around them, the last few pages show exactly why people willingly go through all this trouble- the friendship and affection that can only be provided by a loving pet.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Please, read it, please! March 31, 2006

By Britta L. Gregor Krabill

Format:Hardcover

As a youth services librarian, I am responsible for the toddler storytime and I'm constantly searching for books that work well with large groups. This book is perfect. Even young ones who are scared of dogs can appreciate the joy of a wet, curious puppy.

The repetition and rhythm keeps the kids engaged while the large, playful pictures are easy to share even when my group is huge.

The illustrations are some of the best I've seen. The puppy's nose looks like it would be wet if you touched the page, and the children are full of life and motion.

I plan to use this book as often as I can and I will be purchasing a copy for my personal library.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful book for toddlers April 29, 2006

By Yolanda Griffin Wallington

Format:Hardcover

I love this book, but not as much as Please Baby Please and it may be because we are not dog owners. Nevertheless, my [...] loves this book. Like me, he favors Please Baby more. He may like this book because he recognizes the similarities between the two. That said, we delight in the puppy's antics and read this book often.