Who Wants to Be a Poodle I Don't [Hardcover]

Lauren Child (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Lauren Child takes the lead with this wry and wooly tale of a pampered poodle who just wants to paddle in puddles — like REAL dogs do.

Trixie Twinkle Toes lives in the lap of luxury, with every creature comfort a manicured paw away. Adored by the glamorous Mademoiselle Bruleé, the little poodle has a maid to plump her pillows and a cook to prepare her nibbles. But Trixie isn’t happy. She doesn’t like the puffing and poofing and preening. She doesn’t like being dressed in little pink ponchos. She wants to be dazzlingly dangerous and daring. She wants to step in puddles! With a witty text that scampers across the pages and hilarious mixed-media illustrations, Lauren Child offers a one-ofa-kind treat — sure to entice both spirited little readers and deeply devoted dog-lovers alike.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1–3—A silly story with over-the-top collage illustrations. Trixie Twinkle Toes is a pampered, white toy poodle. Her sophisticated owner, Verity Brulée, wears expensive shoes and stays indoors in wet or stormy weather, where she flips through footwear catalogs and Trixie chews on her pink velvet ribbon. The pup longs to run in the park, splash through puddles, and have a real dog's name like Growler or Gripper. Sitting under the dryer at the poodle parlor, she reads an article, "How to Change Your Dog Image," in the latest issue of Posh Pooch Monthly. It highlights how a scruffy dog is transformed into a tidy pooch in three months, and Trixie concludes that the reverse must also be true. She works hard to become daring and dangerous, sliding down banisters, swinging from chandeliers, and diving into fountains. Verity takes Trixie to a pooch psychiatrist, to no avail. As they head home in the rain, the poodle hears the howls of a small dog drowning in a puddle, wades in (with her mistress close behind), and saves the Chihuahua. After this, Verity ceases to coddle her pet, and on rainy days they go out to mingle with the other dogs. The book's design and layout are extremely cluttered. Busy backgrounds and a text that swirls and curves make the book difficult to read, and the toy poodle is nearly lost in some of the illustrations.—Linda Staskus, Parma Regional Library, OH END

About the Author

Lauren Child, a winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, is the creator of the picture books about Charlie and Lola (who also star in their own TV series) as well as the series of award-winning books about the irrepressible Clarice Bean. She lives in London.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 22, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763646105
• ISBN-13: 978-0763646103
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.4 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,031,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lauren Child is the multi-talented prize-winning creator of the characters Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean and Hubert Horatio Bobton-Trent. She has won the Smarties Gold Award, Smarties Bronze Award, Kate Greenaway Medal and been shortlisted for the Children's Book of the Year at the British Book Awards. Lauren lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from www.firrkids.com, November 19, 2009

By 

www.firrkids.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: Who Wants to Be a Poodle I Don't (Hardcover)

I have always loved Lauren Child's style. From her wild and frequent patterns selections to her use of assorted fonts, her style exhibits a particularly lovely sense of whimsy. Geometric black and white print drapes meet abstract pink walls and green cabbage print wallpaper. The effect is definitely striking rather than jarring.

I particularly like this book because the main character is the divinely glamorous Mademoiselle Verity Brulee, who lives in a sumptuous apartment and likes everything to be "just so." Of course, being a lady of leisure means her hobbies include shoe shopping and ... more shoe shopping. Of course, her dog is a fluffy little white poodle, named Trixie Twinkle Toes Trot-a-Lot Delight. Unfortunately, Trixie is not the sort of dog who appreciates her name or living in the lap of luxury.

Trixie may not look the part, with her fluffy white coats and perfectly poofed tail, but she craves a life of adventure! Her dream is to prance through puddles, not to be sprayed by perfume. Trixie is being squashed by her life and finally decides she must take action. After reading (I guess this dog can read) an article titled "How to Change Your Dog Image," she feels emboldened to take action.

Trixie puts her plan into action by becoming dangerous and daring. She catches fleas and chews the neighbors newspaper. She slides straight down the banister and leaps onto the chandelier. Finally, Trixie runs through the raindrops and dives into the deepest puddle to save a smaller dog. Suddenly, Verity Burlee sees her pooch in a new light and understands what Trixie needs. And from then on, the pair are sure to venture outside every day that it rains.

The story is cute, but it's Child's illustrations that steal the show. I love the pairings of flowers with checks and the mad jumble of each page. Your eye won't know where to look first - it's a virtual playground of pattern and font. And the book has a wonderful happy ending with Trixie being able to convey to her owner what will make her feel alive.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A FUN REMINDER TO BE TRUE TO YOURSELF, September 24, 2009

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Who Wants to Be a Poodle I Don't (Hardcover)

Londoner Lauren Child has a wonderfully appealing imagination that children cannot resist. She's the creator of Clarice Bean, that wise, inquisitive, and smile provoking elementary school girl, and other books for young readers. She counts the Kate Greenaway Medal among her many awards, and now introduces Trixie Twinkle Toes AKA Trixie Twinkle Toes Trot-a-Lot Delight.

Trixie is a poodle owned by Mademoiselle Brulee who is very wealthy and wants everything just right, including Trixie. So, Trixie has pillows plumped for her, a cook who prepares her nibbles, and even a dog psychiatrist on the ready when necessary.

Truth is that Trixie doesn't enjoy the visits to the pet beauty parlor. "She didn't like the perfuming, the powdering, or the pompoms." What Trixie would really like is to be like any other dog and able to chase things in the park and plop in puddles.

Deep in her heart Trixie doesn't feel the least bit "poodley." But, there seemed to be no way that she could convey this to her mistress. Trixie tries all manner of things but nothing seems to work until......... And, that's the surprise.

This is a fun story for youngsters filled with colorful illustrations by the author.

- Gail Cooke

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, January 24, 2012

By 

Joy Casey (Solana Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Who Wants to Be a Poodle I Don't (Hardcover)

I just read this charming and very ORIGINAL book and loved it! I can hardly wait to read some of this very prolific author's other children's books!