From School Library Journal
K-Gr-3-A variety of dogs is cleverly constructed entirely from fruits and vegetables. A dachshundlike pup is fashioned from bananas, and poodlelike pooches with curly locks are created out of cauliflower or broccoli. Simple cuts have been made to form legs and ears, and small pieces of other fruits and vegetables have been attached for eyes and other small body parts. Each canine appears on a bright, solid-colored background and is labeled with a simple phrase. The idiomatic expressions and other descriptors show the many ways the words "dog" and "puppy" have been incorporated into the English language. "Dog tired," "sick as a dog," "top dog," and "puppy love" are just a few examples. The endpapers show all of the creatures pictured in the book, and the back cover lists the ingredients used. Most children probably won't want to read this more than once, but it provides a brief, fun-for-browsing experience.
Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
PreS-Gr. 3. Food sculptors Freymann and Elffers are at it again, turning vegetables and fruits into something not found in the garden or grocery. This time common produce is transformed into dogs--of every size, shape, and breed. While previous books How Are You Peeling? (1991) and One Lonely Seahorse (2000) had an educational component--the first introducing emotions and the second, counting--this book is just for fun. And what fun it is! Bananas, cucumbers, artichokes, broccoli, and more are rearranged and combined into hilarious canine scenes. Mostly familiar phrases containing the word dog or puppy accompany the artwork: "dog catcher" shows a dog catching a Frisbee; "dog tag" shows a pair of pups playing tag. Younger kids may not know all the expressions ("dog eat dog"), but it really doesn't matter; they'll be having too much fun enjoying the "dog show" to notice or care. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
About the Author
In the fertile mind of artist/sculptor Saxton Freymann, a cauliflower is a poodle, an artichoke is a wolf, a banana is an octopus, and a pumpkin is just about anything. Fruits and veggies - meticulously carved, then photographed - are his special gift to the bountiful world of children's literature. "What's great about food," he says, "is that it keeps all of the photos fun." Freymann lives in New York City with his wife and three children, all of whom are very healthy, he says, because they eat the cast of characters he works on. For more information about Saxton Freymann, visit: scholastic.com/tradebooks Born in The Netherlands to artist parents, Joost turned his creative energy to food in 1976, when he became fascinated with the garnishes used by Japanese sushi chefs. The result was Play With Your Food, his first collaboration with Saxton Freymann, and a bestseller for the whole family. Joost believes that if you can open children's eyes and thinking with things they can understand and duplicate - like food creations - a new range of creativity opens up. "Then," he says, "you can take them to a museum."
