Once I Ate a Pie

by Patricia MacLachlan, Katy Schneider (Illustrator), Emily MacLachlan Charest

Overview

A sweet and funny collection of poems by Patricia MacLachlan, the author of the Newbery Medal–winning Sarah, Plain and Tall.

It's a dog's life!

Every dog has a tail to wag . . . and a tale to tell. Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest asked a collection of canines to speak up—and so they do, in words, barks, and yips. Captured here are accounts of happy days filled with squeaky toys, good smells, plenty of naps, and the very important jobs they do for the people they love to love.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060735333
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/23/2010
Pages:	30
Sales rank:	130,798
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Lexile:	AD430L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022) was the celebrated author of many timeless books for young readers, including Sarah, Plain and Tall, winner of the Newbery Medal. She was also the author of many beloved picture books, a number of which she cowrote with her daughter, Emily.

Katy Schneider lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with her husband, Dave, and three children, Olive, Mae, and Ellis. She is the illustrator of Painting the Wind and Once I Ate a Pie and exhibits her paintings nationwide.

Emily MacLachlan Charest lives with her husband, her children, Sofia and Nicholas, two dogs, and one oversized cat, Romeo, who thinks he's a dog. She works with young children. She is the coauthor of Bittle, Painting the Wind, Once I Ate a Pie, and other books. She lives in Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 3-Free-verse poems about 14 individual dogs sprawl across oversize spreads accompanied by large oil illustrations. The poems and paintings together delightfully capture each distinct personality in few words and with broad strokes of the brush. The fonts change often and reflect the poet's words-rising and falling, sometimes in bold type, growing larger and smaller and dancing over the pages. The format allows for plenty of white space, emphasizing the postures and personalities of the pups and helping the playful fonts to stand out. The overall result is an entertaining visit with some very appealing canines, and a book that perhaps could serve as an inspiration in the classroom for young poets trying to describe their own pets. One wishes that the breeds were listed somewhere, but all in all, this title is still a real treat.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

An appealing cover image of a charming pug invites the reader into this ode to canine companions by the mother-and-daughter team. Fourteen short, non-rhyming poems introduce a variety of highly individualistic dogs, with the personality of each one captured in just a few revealing lines. The poems are written in first person with an innocent viewpoint appropriate to a dog's egocentric perspective on the world. Abby "borrows" bones, balls and slippers (and doesn't give them back); Mr. Beefy the pug steals butter (or even a cherry pie) from the table; and Lucy, adopted from a shelter, sleeps between her owners with her own pillow and teddy bear. Schneider's expressive paintings add to each dog's character, skillfully capturing distinctive breed characteristics, with expressive eyes and playful postures that indicate thorough knowledge of canine behavior. Thoughtful design elements include a trail of paw prints leading from the cover through the front matter into the text, varying type treatments and a mixture of illustration perspectives. (Poetry. 4-9)

Kirkus Reviews