A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose [Hardcover]

Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen (Author), Linzie Hunter (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

Amelia wants a dog, needs a dog, and believes she simply cannot live without a small brown dog with a wet pink nose. Her parents think she can.

Rather than begging or pleading, Amelia adopts an imaginary dog named Bones. But when Amelia's make-believe pup runs away, her parents are in for a real surprise!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3—Amelia wants a dog. When her persistent requests are repeatedly denied, she begins to pretend that she has a dog named "Bones," and gradually her mother and father go along with the game. Then, when her pet "gets lost," there is nothing for them to do but help Amelia find him. The search leads to an animal shelter and a real Bones to take home. The final spread, "Amelia's Guide to Getting Your First Dog," dispels any doubt that the child's actions were deliberate. Amelia is an endearing character, and Hunter's portrayal of her perfectly matches Stuve-Bodeen's text. The digitally enhanced, cheery pictures are airy and use simple shapes and colors. The almost comic-book format takes the eye quickly from one part of the page to another, leading readers through the story. This title is a good choice for a one-on-one read-aloud or for children to enjoy on their own.—Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Rarely have children been offered such a devious strategy for landing a mutt. Amelia’s daily refrain is unusually specific: “May I have a small brown dog with a wet pink nose?” She has doggy scrapbooks, doggy slippers, and even doggy diagrams (complete with arrows indicating both the animal’s smallness as well as the pinkness of its nose). Her parents gamely answer her questions about naming, walking, feeding, and sleeping with a dog, and they even admit that if a dog was lost, they’d look for it. The next day, Amelia acts as if an invisible dog now lives with them. Illustrated with dotted lines, this pretend pooch then gets “lost,” at which point Amelia convinces her parents to search for him at the animal shelter . . . and you can see where this is headed. The concepts are complicated but clear, and Hunter’s patterned illustrations are appropriately unpredictable, with nearly every page design different from the last. Plenty for kids to pore over while hatching their insidious plots. Grades K-2. --Daniel Kraus

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316058300
• ISBN-13: 978-0316058308
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,302,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Book!!, January 12, 2010

By 

Terri Hellbusch (Hines, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for my granddaughters (ages 6 & 8) for Christmas. They loved the book - they said the story was such a great one and the illustrations were the best. My 15 year old granddaughter also loved the book - she said "This is such a great book!!" It was read many, many times over the Christmas holiday and know it will continue to be a favorite. Once you read the book you'll want your own Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose!!! Thanks Stephanie for an awesome book!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely artwork and fun story, but with moral issues, April 26, 2010

By 

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

This review is from: A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose (Hardcover)

I just read "A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose" to two classes as part of our school's promotion of book fair week. The first graders loved the book and were very amused by the attractive and funny artwork and the repetition in the parent's replies to Amelia's questions. But the second graders were immediately struck by the dishonesty in Amelia's approach. The first comment I heard when I finished the story was, "But that's lying!" Unfortunately, as a book fair volunteer with only a few minutes with each class, I wasn't in a position to start a discussion on the issues raised. I had only time enough to agree and point out that Amelia's parents could have still said no without breaking their promise, because the dog at the shelter wasn't invisible like the Bones that they had "lost."

This second grader was correct, no question. If the story leaves any doubts, the end-paper of the hard-bound copy removes them, since it makes it quite clear that Amelia's plan to trick her parents into getting a dog was calculatingly premeditated and not just a serendipitous discovery.

I still enjoyed the story and the moral issues wouldn't stop me from reading it to a child. The artwork is a delight and the story is fun to read aloud. But I recommend only doing so when you're in a position to have a real conversation about Amelia's actions, and I would not read this to a child already struggling with honesty issues. I won't be buying this one at our book fair and I don't recommend it as a present, since I suspect many parents may have more qualms about it than I do.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My husband thinks there is a conspiracy in our house, February 22, 2010

By 

Aimee "Aimee" (IN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose (Hardcover)

Our families beloved Labrador past away about a year ago. My daughter is an animal lover, so when I saw this book at the library I just picked it up. Come to find out, as I'm reading it to her before bed...the story line is basically a "how-to" instruction book on tricking your parents into getting a dog. My husband thinks it's a conspiracy....(we've been hinting at getting another dog as of late and my husband has seriously said a line straight out of the story) The book honestly wasn't an intentional pick.

This book is a fun, witty work of fiction. My 5yr old thought is was hilarious once she put all the peices together. Although it's about tricking your parents, I still went ahead and purchased it. I think it will be a fun read for mother/daughter time.

Recommended!