Amazon.com Review
When Alfred, a supposedly unlovable pug (or so the cat tells him) meets a new neighbor dog through the solid fence, he can't help himself: "My name is Alfred," he says. "I'm a golden retriever." As long as he can keep the fence between himself and Rex, Alfred is relaxed enough to get to know his new buddy. They share many likes (sleeping in the sun, dog food, and scratching) and dislikes (baths and the vet), and spend hours chatting. But then one day Rex decides to dig a hole under the fence so he can come over to Alfred's side. It's the moment of truth--will Rex find Alfred unlovable when he sees him face to face?
Dan Yaccarino's story about real friendship (and the danger of shaky self esteem) will strike a chord with anyone who has ever told a teeny tiny white lie (or a whopper) on the playground just to boost his or her image a bit. Alfred suffers from a common malady: he believes anything others tell him. But on the final page, readers will rejoice to see Alfred and his pal Rex peeking mischievously over the windowsill at the naughty cat, who is obviously flustered to see that her victim isn't going to take it any more. Yaccarino (illustrator of Circle Dogs, by Kevin Henkes, I Love Going Through This Book, by Robert Burleigh, and many others), whose stylized gouache on watercolor paper illustrations are recognizable a mile away, manages to make this pug positively lovable despite what any feline might say. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter
From Publishers Weekly
Yaccarino (Circle Dogs) finds an ideal subject for his smooth, lava-lamp-globular painting style: the fawn pug. According to human regulations for cuteness, Alfred the pug dog is adorable, with his oversize round head, buggy brown eyes and curly tail. Yet no people appear to provide Alfred with affection. Instead, the sensitive, anthropomorphic dog suffers the taunts of a smirking cat, a parrot who repeats the word "unlovable" and large-breed dogs (" `His mouth is too small to hold a ball,' a big German Shepherd sneered"). Alfred's only friend is Rex, the dog next door, who is too small to see over the plank fence between their yards. "I'm a golden retriever," Alfred boasts to his hidden companion, only to dread the consequences of his fib. Yaccarino, working from a springtime-fresh gouache palette, keeps everyone in suspense by concealing Rex's identity and applying time-tested elements of Cyrano de Bergerac and William Steig's Shrek! As it turns out, the blind date ends happily. Rex is Alfred's mirror image and, in the wordless concluding image, he and Alfred beam identical smiles at the disdainful cat. This amiable tale of self-confidence challenges its cruel title, and word-slinging bullies, at every turn. Ages 3-6.
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