Book Review: Charlie Goes to School (ranch dog)

Charlie Goes to School, by Ree Drummond with illustrations by Diane deGroat (Harper, 2013, $17.99, 40 pages, ages 4-8)

Riddle of the Day

Charlie goes to school but doesn’t go to school. Why not? What two schools are shown in this Charlie book?

These are questions to ask your child after reading this Charlie book.

Once again, Ann Marie (“Ree”) Drummond has given children and their parents a wonderful look into ranch life plus the ranch life of a real ranch dog, Charlie.

Who is Charlie?

Charlie the ranch dog has long ears and short legs, a combination that works well for this supervising, ‘lovably lazy,’ working ranch dog who is adept at napping and eating bacon.

You will smile as your child reads this book to you and explains the wealth of information in each Diane deGroat lovely and realistic illustration of western life: horses and cows, porches and barns, grasslands and Kitty Kitty.

Charlie Goes to School, like the other Charlie books, is one that you will keep as your child discovers new things each time he reads it - and you will keep it to read when you need just a lovely short story. (By the way, Drummond’s book, The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels – A Love Story is the story of Drummond herself for adults, the story of a surgeon’s daughter turned sorority girl turned working ranch homeschool teacher to her four children and dog author and cooking blogger and . . . . )

Don’t blame DogEvals if your daughter wants to vacation on an Oklahoma working ranch that has a dog or two, and an indoor chipmunk!

Next: Charlie and the New Baby

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