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Shoe Dog

Cover image for Shoe dog
Shoe Dog 
By Meg McDonald
Illustrated by Katherine Tillotson
Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014. picture book

Shoe Dog loves his new home.  He loves his new master.  He loves tummy rubs and nose kisses. But most of all he loves to chew on shoes.  His new master is not happy with his shoe habit.  She tries hiding the shoes. She tries putting them high on a shelf, but Shoe Dog always finds them.  Bad Dog! Will Shoe Dog and his master ever figure out how to resolve the shoe problem?  This book is written from the point of view of the dog, and McDonald does a great job using clipped sentences and short phrases to suggest the enthusiastic energy of a puppy. Tillotson uses soft watercolor and bold strokes of pastels to communicate the dog's vitality and activity and a variety of perspectives to give the reader a dog's eye view. This is a great book about pets and their owners, and about persistence in finding a way to make things work.

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