Walter the Farting Dog or The Black Circle

Walter, the Farting Dog

Author: William Kotzwinkl

Warning: This book may cause flatulence. Walter is a fine dog, except for one small problem: he has gas. He can't help it; it's just the way he is. Fortunately, the kids Billy and Betty love him regardless, but Father says he's got to go! Poor Walter, he's going to the dog pound tomorrow. And then, in the night, burglars strike. Walter has his chance to be a hero. Destined to become a children's classic, this story will have kids rolling on the floor with laughter. Adults are permitted to laugh too.

Publishers Weekly

Here's a companion to Taro Gomi's Everyone Poops, albeit with less educational value. Walter, a fat gray dog with an apologetic look on his face, comes home from the pound with two children. He has incurable gas, and his family decides to take him back. The night before he is to go, Walter sadly devours "the 25-pound bag of low-fart dog biscuits the vet had prescribed for him, which had made him fart more.... A gigantic gas bubble began to build inside him." Wouldn't you know, two burglars break in, and Walter's liability becomes his asset. Predictable stuff, but Kotzwinkle (Trouble in Bugland) and education writer Murray know their audience. Their simple strategy just keep saying "fart" should have children rolling in the aisles during read-aloud. Newcomer Colman likewise fixates on one visual gag, Walter with steam blasting out his backside. Unlike Babette Cole, whose Dr. Dog takes a mock-scientific approach to digestion, Colman specializes in reaction shots; in her surreal collages of photos and patterns, people hold their noses and a cat glances at the culprit. Yes, this lowbrow endeavor could be a crowd-pleaser but, like its topic, its disruptive effects will tend to linger. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)

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The Black Circle (The 39 Clues Series #5)

Author: Patrick Carman

JOIN ANYTIME TO PLAY FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN!

WHERE ARE AMY AND DAN CAHILL? The two kids were last seen in Egypt, hunting for one of the 39 Clues that could make them the most powerful people on earth. But no one has seen the siblings since. Has the ruthless Irina Spasky finally tracked them down? Or worse . . . the Madrigals?

No one knows where the Clue hunt leads next. But one thing is certain - Book 5 is gearing up to be Dan and Amy's most dangerous adventure yet.

Rodrick Rules or The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Rodrick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #2)

Author: Jeff Kinney

The highly anticipated sequel to the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling book!

Secrets have a way of getting out, especially when a diary is involved.

Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer vacation, because he definitely doesn’t want to talk about it.

As Greg enters the new school year, he’s eager to put the past three months behind him . . . and one event in particular.

Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out . . . especially when a diary is involved.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules chronicles Greg’s attempts to navigate the hazards of middle school, impress the girls, steer clear of the school talent show, and most important, keep his secret safe.

The New York Times - Julie Just

The voice is pitch-perfect and the action recognizably elementary, and not too mean.

Publishers Weekly

Kinney's junior-high diarist returns to chronicle another year's worth of comic moments in this riotous sequel. Once again, school-related drama constitutes a good portion of Greg's subject matter, from an ongoing correspondence with a pen pal ("I'm pretty sure 'aquaintance' doesn't have a 'c' in it. You really need to work on your English," Greg replies to the French student's polite introduction) to mastering book reports by writing "exactly what the teacher wants to hear" ("There were a bunch of hard words in this book, but I looked them up in the dictionary so now I know what they mean"). As in the previous book, cartoons form part of the narrative, corroborating (or disproving) Greg's statements. He claims that kids with last names at the start of the alphabet are smartest, and a side-by-side comparison of prim über-nerd Alex Aruda and gap-toothed Christopher Ziegel drives the point home. Additionally, Kinney fleshes out the often testy relationships between Greg and his slacker older sibling, Rodrick, and his little brother, Manny (when Greg gets mad at Manny for shoving a cookie in his video game system, the toddler protests, "I'm ownwy thwee!" and offers a ball of tinfoil with toothpicks shoved through to apologize). The hilarious interplay between text and cartoons and the keen familial observations that set Diary of a Wimpy Kidapart are just as evident in this outing, and are just as likely to keep readers in stitches. Ages 8-up. (Feb.)

Kinney is not judgmental. Greg and Roderick do anything they can get away with, without a thought for the feelings of others, and readers are left to draw their own conclusions. Dad and ever-vigilant Mom are largely clueless; at least, that's Greg's perception. What is the worst thing the brothers get up to? Probably Roderick's inviting his disreputable friends for an all-night party when Mom and Dad are away. (How could they trust Roderick with the house?) Poor Greg is sucked into the scheme and then blackmailed into cleaning up after the disaster. Greg has plenty of middle-school episodes of his own, like causing his friend Rowley to break his big toe or teaming up with magician Scotty for the Talent Show only to sabotage the act. The final entries of his diary recount how Greg saves Roderick with a last-minute science project (answering the question, "Do Plants Sneeze?") and achieves unexpected celebrity when he hides in the women's restroom (don't ask). When Mom reassures him that his classmates will know it was an "honest mistake," Greg sagely remarks: "So that just proves once and for all that Mom doesn't understand a THING about kids my age." Kinney's clever cartoons (too slick to have actually been done by Greg) are just as funny as the ones in Diary #1. Reviewer: Barbara L. Talcroft

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8- Hapless and hilarious Greg Heffley returns with another diary full of the minor irritations, major disasters, and occasional triumphs of a wimpy boy's middle school life. Kinney combines hand-written text with comical cartoons to present a character who is self-centered, sneaky, and dishonest, but also occasionally insightful and always very funny. Older brother Rodrick is his primary nemesis this time, partly because he threatens to spill Greg's embarrassing secret to the whole world. A nerdy best friend, a little brother who gets away with everything, and a bunch of clueless adults add significantly to Greg's problems. Readers, of course, will note that most of the narrator's troubles are self-inflicted, as when he wraps himself in toilet paper to avoid hypothermia in the boys' bathroom, does a disastrous job of pet-sitting, or decides to "wing it" for his school report on "The Amazing Moose." He's a character that readers can laugh at and empathize with at the same time. The line drawings that appear on every page play a large part in bringing Greg's world to life, providing humorous characterizations and details not mentioned in words. They also extend the appeal of the book to readers who are still a few years away from middle school themselves. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Abrams, 2007) has been wildly popular, and this sequel should be an equally big hit with reluctant readers, especially boys, and anyone looking for a funny book.-Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR

Kirkus Reviews

In a second set of entries-of a planned three, all first published in somewhat different form online in installments-slacker diarist Greg starts a new school year. After a miserable summer of avoiding swim-team practice by hiding out in the bathroom (and having to wrap himself in toilet paper to keep from freezing), he finally passes on the dreaded "cheese touch" (a form of cooties) to an unsuspecting new classmate, then stumbles through another semester of pranks and mishaps. On the domestic front, his ongoing wars with older brother Rodrick, would-be drummer in a would-be metal band called Loded Diper, share center stage with their mother's generally futile parenting strategies. As before, the text, which is done in a legible hand-lettered-style font, is liberally interspersed with funny line drawings, many of which feature punch lines in speech balloons. Though even less likable that Junie B. Jones, Greg is (well, generally) at least not actively malicious, and so often is he the victim of circumstance or his own schemes gone awry that readers can't help but feel empathy. This reasonably self-contained installment closes with a truce between the siblings. A temporary one, more than likely. (Illustrated fiction. 9-11)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Author: Eric Carl

Celebrating the 40th anniverary of one of the most popular children's books ever created, this pop-up edition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the perfect new platform for the classic caterpillar, who literally pops off the pages of the book-crawling along branches, munching through food, and in one of the most memorable climaxes ever, emerging vibrantly as a three-dimensional beautiful butterfly.

This is a stunning, tour-de-force pop-up that no fan of Mr. Carle's work will want to miss.

Children's Literature

One Sunday a very hungry caterpillar hatched. He eats his way through a variety of foods that are boldly and colorfully illustrated. The story progresses with the caterpillar spinning a cocoon and waking up into a butterfly, illustrating one of nature's common but lovely marvels.