From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1–Two young children celebrate the joy and challenges of life with their new pet. Puppy is exuberant, energetic, and as undisciplined as can be. The kids are thrilled with their uncontrollable new friend, chasing him, playing with him, and trying to get him to behave. In the spare text, the authors' repetitive dialogue rings true, echoing the sounds of children's excited screams and squeals. Nelson's illustrations are full of movement, switching perspective often to create a frenzied atmosphere. The children and puppy are appealing, dominating each page and keeping the focus clearly on the action. This book would be fun to read to a group, small or large, and the text is easy enough for beginning readers.–Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
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PreS-Gr. 1. Reprising the theme from their earlier collaboration, Please, Baby, Please (2002), filmmaker Lee and his wife, a producer, turn the tables by putting the toddlers in charge this time. Although adults reading this aloud will smile knowingly as the young African American boy and girl plead in vain for their puppy to listen to directions, young readers and listeners may not appreciate the irony. Even so, they'll enjoy the exuberant pup's antics, which Nelson captures from a variety of perspectives in colorful, energetic illustrations: the puppy leaps into the air, rolls in mud, bounds out of his bath, and shakes water all over himself, the children, and the cat. The conscientious youngsters chase him, imploring their "baby" to behave. Picture books featuring children of color that don't make ethnicity the focus of the story are needed in all collections; this one is particularly accessible and fun. Diane Foote
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About the Author
Spike Lee is one of the most prominent and influential media figures today. His films include the critically acclaimed School Daze; Academy Award nominee Do the Right Thing; Malcolm X; Clockers; and 25th Hour. Born in Atlanta, Spike attended Morehouse College and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned his master of fine arts degree in film production. Spike and his wife are the authors of Please, Baby, Please, their first picture book with Simon & Schuster. They live in New York City with their two children.
Tonya Lewis Lee is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Virginia School of Law. As a children's television producer she has worked with Disney, Nickelodeon, and Noggin/The N, where she was the executive producer of the award-winning documentary I Sit Where I Want: The Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education and the critically acclaimed miniseries Miracle's Boys. She is also the author of Gotham Diaries, her first novel.
Kadir Nelson is an award-winning American artist whose works have been exhibited in major national and international publications, institutions, art galleries, and museums. Nelson’s work has won the Coretta Scott King Award, the Robert F. Sibert Award, two Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Awards, and the 2005 Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. His beloved, award-winning, and bestselling picture books include We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball; Thunder Rose, written by Jerdine Nolen; Ellington Was Not a Street, written by Ntozake Shange; Salt in His Shoes, written by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan; and many more. Kadir lives in Los Angeles.
