Book Review: Good Rosie! (JRT, dog park, making friends, children's book)

Good Rosie! by Kate DiCamillo with pictures by Harry Bliss (Candlewick Press, 2018, 32 pages, $13.98, ages 5 and up, kindergarten and up) DiCamillo is a two-time Newbery Medal winner.

DogEvals selected Good Rosie! to review because author Kate DiCamillo is a Newbery Medal award winner (Because of Winn-Dixie) and we simply love New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss’ books Bailey

and Bailey at the Museum!

A Big Book

Good Rosie! is written in nine parts, from The Bowl, The Clouds, Something New, Wanna Play?, Drop It!, Somebody does Something, Three Tiny Stones, How do You do It?, and The Friends.

Delightfully Educational

Rosie is a good dog (but lonely) who lives with old George. One day they go to the dog park but Rosie doesn’t know how to make dog friends and play with them. She meets huge dog Maurice and tiny dog Fifi and what the huge dog does to the tiny dog will surprise you.

Fertile Discussions

Rosie learns how to play with her new dog friends and so do yippy Fifi and loud Maurice: all are different and all have trouble making new friends but manage to succeed by the end of the story. In addition, George uses a cane.

Children who are new to a school may soon identify with one of the dogs and learn this book by heart - and take it to heart. Your child may also start noticing people with canes, and notice that they can do everything.

Good Rosie! is a book for the young with wonderful illustrations, lessons that sneak up on you, a mid-book surprise and tiny shiny stones.

And, finally, from the dog trainer. . . .

Dear authors, please don’t let your human characters read a book at the dog park. Please don’t let them chastise their dogs for growling at another dog – they are afraid, not bad or impolite. Thanks!