Customer Reviews

That New Animal

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book made my husband and I laugh out loud as he read it to our 3 year old daughter. She loves it, too. If you had dogs, then had a baby, you need this book. Now we know what our dogs were really thinking. A children's book that is charming without being sappy.

FudgeFudge and Marshmallow ruled the roost, more or less. They received a great deal of attention from the man and woman to whom they belonged, so basically they were two happy dogs. That is until a new animal came to live at their house. They do not like this intruder one bit.

For starters, he didn't smell at all like a dog, and people didn't play with them any more - no sticks to chase or tossed balls to run after. People just sat and looked at the new animal. The intruder took FudgeFudge's spot on the couch, and no one even noticed that Marshmallow was showing his tummy, ready to be scratched.

To add insult to injury, when Marshmallow whines, someone tells him to be quiet. And, when FudgeFudge barks, he's sent to the corner. But, when the new animal cries it is cuddled and kissed. How ridiculous!

Of course, the new animal is a baby. The two dogs simply do not know how to deal with this member of the family. It takes a visit from Grandpa to straighten things out.
Youngsters will laugh at the dogs' reaction to the baby, and many will probably relate to the changes that occur when a new person joins the family.

- Gail Cooke

My 3 year old son LOVES this book. The idea of the book is great, complete with kid-attention-grabbing "peeing all over the floor" however there are a number of details in this book which are kind of disturbing and not well-chosen. In one place the dogs discuss whether or not they should bite the new baby and in another place they consider the idea of burying (presumably alive) the baby in the backyard with the bones. Uh huh. There are two parts that will make anyone who has been affected by SIDS or who is just concerned about it VERY disturbed: In one picture the parents are depicted using an extremly unsafe sleeping environment-- both parents are asleep in their bed and the mom has the baby asleep on her stomach. In another part one of the dogs climbs into the cradle and is practically smothering the baby.

This a very cute books written from the point of view of the pets when their owners bring a new baby into the home. I read it to about 100 1st graders and it was a huge hit!

My mother has a phrase that often occurs to me when I see babies or toddlers driving their parents/siblings bonkers. "Cute is a defensive mechanism". I think this may be true. No matter how obnoxious a young `un is, if they've the saving grace of adorableness, they'll probably survive a little longer in the wild or the family home. But what if someone doesn't find the new baby in the family cute in the least? Emily Jenkins has taken a most basic tale of new-baby-blues and applied it to a pair of family pets. The result, my friends, is picture book gold.

Family pups FudgeFudge and Marshmallow are displeased. There is a new animal in the home. An unpleasant animal with an unpleasant smell and it's stealing valuable attention away from the dogs. Now no one is throwing a stick or a ball or scratching Marshmallow's tummy (even when he really really wants them to). And the dogs cannot help but notice that when they whine or bark they're disciplined, but when the new animal cries it gets cuddles and kisses. FudgeFudge is particularly upset. She suggests eating the animal, biting it, burying it, taking over its cradle, and chewing up its toys. Each time Marshmallow tells her no, but eventually even the calm Marshmallow can't take it any longer and proceeds to pee on the carpet in several places. Then one day Grandpa comes by and the dogs do not know Grandpa. They know one thing, though. He's trying to get near the new animal and since they don't know him, he's a threat to it. He tries again and again and each time they bark to keep him away. "It is our new animal to hate as much as we want to", reasons Marshmallow. "But it is not his new animal to go picking up whenever he feels like it". Slowly things start to get back to normal. Sticks are thrown and the new animal says the word "Da", which obviously means "dog". By the end, the dogs have accepted the new animal, "To hate as much as they want to. And to like, just a little bit". The last picture in the book, a small in-joke for those who see it, shows the baby now grown into a toddler looking up at his now once-again pregnant mother as the oblivious doggies chase a stick.

The book has an understated wit and intelligence that kids and adults will be able to equally appreciate. Jenkins was already the author of the laudable, "Daffodil", so it comes as little wonder that "That New Animal" is as sophisticated as it is. Now admittedly, there are lots of metaphorical "new baby" books for kids using family animals. The strongest, aside from this new contender, would have to be Charlotte Voake's, "Ginger", in which an old cat has to deal with the arrival of a new kitten. When you consider the sheer number of terrible what-to-expect-when-mommy's-expecting type books written for children (many of which lack verve, smarts, and a sense of humor), then "The New Animal" comes as a definite relief. Best of all, the book also has accomplished illustrator Pierre Pratt well in hand as well. Pratt honed his doggie-drawing skills on such skilled works as "Albert, the Dog Who Liked To Ride In Taxis" (adored by New York children like no other hometown book) and my personal favorite, "Where's Pup?". Pratt has certainly found where his strengths lay. In spite of its seemingly simple illustrations, Pratt is sure to slip little fun details into the mix. There's a great shot of the new baby on the couch while the dad wears a shirt plastered with the face of (you guessed it) the self-same baby. The baby itself looks like nothing so much as a wrinkled little old man. It never fears or objects to the presence of Marshmallow or FudgeFudge (not even when FudgeFudge is attempting to "share" its cradle). The result is a benign story of two different species learning to get along and where the baby is the calmer of the two.

I guess you sort of end up feeling bad for Grandpa in the book (though I'm sure that there's some off-camera moment where the parents hand him the baby). Otherwise, there's not much to dislike about the book. The dogs act in very realistic doggie ways. The parents are besotted and, presumably, the grown baby at the end is about to deal with a little sibling rivalry of his own. Family dog books abound, but this is certainly one of the better breeds. For a fabulous canine storytime, consider pairing this title with the equally dog-centric and original, "Let's Get a Pup, Said Kate", by Bob Graham. Otherwise, this is a swell addition to any family and a superb way of letting kids identify with two easy to understand critters.

We have an animal, and a new animal in our family, and the book portrays exactly what happened in our house. Made us laugh.

I am a youth services librarian as well as an illustrator and I constantly recommend this book. Cleverly disguised furry children (a couple of dogs) are at the apex of their sibling rivalry as another new animal joins them...a baby. The dogs, Fudge-Fudge and Marshmallow, think of ingenious ways to regain their top dog status over this new baby animal human, until a bewildered grandpa reacts to their protective barking. After all, it is THEIR strange animal. In the end the baby accepts the dogs through a cute verbal acknowledgment, the dogs accept the baby as being highly intelligent, and all move over one spot. Feel goods all around for babies and pets alike. Highly recommended.

My 3 year old and I happened on this book at the library. It is very funny, showing two pet dogs' strong emotions at being displaced by a "new animal". The conversation between the dogs is delightfully frank; one suggests that the "new animal" be buried along with the bones in the back yard. Gradually the dogs become accustomed to the new baby's smell, and by the end of the book, the dogs are beginning to accept the baby as one of their family members. Highly recommended for families with children and pets.

Fudge Fudge and Marshmellow deal with their feelings of change when new "animal" arrive. Entertaining and thoughful.

This book cracked us up. We got it for our [...]who will be welcoming a new baby brother or sister into our home any day now. Of all of the different books we got from the library on welcoming a new sibling into the home, this was our favorite.

We also have a furry member of our family (Daisy, a Golden Retriever) so we can relate to the puppies in this story too. FudgeFudge and Marshmallow just couldn't help but be naughty in the story because of their jealousy of "that new animal". Sometimes you wonder what goes through the minds of our furry little friends. This book gives you a glimpse of that!

My cousin is pregnant with her first baby and this book is absolutely perfect for her and her husband because they have two naughty puppies at home right now! I just ordered her a copy. I think this book is especially appropriate for the "parents" of dogs who are getting ready to welcome a baby of the "human" kind into their home! It is a very cute story and well-illustrated.