From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-A rebellious canine hates water and when his owner, Bob, comes around with the hose for the weekly bath, Phil bolts. He runs too far and for six months tries to find his way home, enduring hardships, such as street dogs, ice between his toes, and abusive kids, before being reunited with his Bob. Sanford's watercolor and pencil illustrations elevate this hardly new story with exciting shifts in perspective and a delightfully active mutt. Fun for dog lovers.
Ann Cook, Winter Park Public Library, FL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ann Cook, Winter Park Public Library, FL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 5^-7. The cajoling face of a floppy-eared, brown-eyed mutt on the dust jacket will undoubtedly draw kids to this story about a lost dog. Phil hates being bathed, and he tries to evade the suds bucket and a hose any way he can. One day, he escapes the dreaded bath by leaping through an open window, only to discover that his flying feet have taken him so far from home he can't find his way back. The story is a little uneven, with the situation swinging widely from Phil's humorous antics to the dramatic question of whether he'll survive uncaring humans, squealing traffic, and an empty tummy. The illustrations are uneven as well, with some looking almost unfinished. Even so, they are the real joy of the book, sometimes action packed or broadly comical (as when Phil's ears flap wildly at hearing Bob's voice on an answering machine) and sometimes almost Norman Rockwell^-like in their precise characterizations and zesty details. Stephanie Zvirin
