Peg Leg Peke

by Brie Spangler

Overview

PEKE, AN ADORABLE little Pekingnese, has a boo-boo. But when he uses his imagination, he’s no longer a pup with a broken leg, he’s a pirate with a peg leg on the high seas! Can he find the buried treasure? In her picture book debut, Brie Spangler celebrates the power of imagination and introduces a lovable Pekingnese puppy who refuses to let his boo-boo keep him from having fun.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375985485
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/29/2013
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Brie Spangler is an author-illustrator originally from the Boston area. She loves clambakes, baseball, and her own little Pekingese, Lola. When not drawing pictures, she can be found avoiding direct sunlight, drinking too much coffee, and snuggling with her husband, Matt, in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

In this small-format cartooned charmer, a Pekingese learns the value of the value of making lemonade out of lemons-but not via a moral tale. Spangler frames her first solo picture book as a type of interview, with questions and comments directed at the Peke. Upon discovering that the melancholy dog has a bad "boo-boo"-he's broken his leg and now wears a restricting cast-the unseen speaker smartly suggests, "You could be a pirate. With a peg leg!" "Oh?" replies the dog, as inspiration starts to dawn and his spirits rise. With a little more of such friendly and therapeutic encouragement, Peg Leg Peke is soon forgetting his troubles and embarking on a pretend treasure hunt ("East is this way," the speaker adds helpfully, with a drawing of a compass rose thrown in for good measure). Spangler keeps her pictures simple, with just enough details and splashes of colors to set a scene. Kids, empowered by their role as speaker, should find the drawings sweet and chummy. Ages 3-6. (June)

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Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1

Peke is a sweet and comical Pekingese with a broken leg and a vivid imagination. An anonymous, unseen questioner inspires him to pretend that he's a pirate. His adventure on the seas leads him to an island and some buried treasure-his "blankie." The book's design is in keeping with the pup's fantasy. The story begins with oversize type and a small illustration of Peke against a monochromatic background. As he becomes a brave pirate, the font becomes smaller and he grows larger, with the addition of color and detail mirroring his developing personality. This picture book is sure to be a hit with preschoolers and beginning readers who enjoy shared reading.-Maura Bresnahan, High Plain Elementary School, Andover, MA

School Library Journal

Even though the sweet Pekingese has a boo-boo, he still has ample use of his imagination. His leg in a stiff blue cast, Peke becomes Peg Leg Peke, no longer an injured pup but a pirate. As his imagination takes over, the beige and white of the first few pages makes way to opaque blues and greens and a brilliant purple treasure chest. Subtle eyebrow movements and wags of the tail let readers take the emotional temperature of their fuzzy white hero. Peke's speech-bubble responses to an offstage, unnamed voice establish a classic preschooler-to-adult relationship, the indulgent grown-up helping to take Peke's mind off his injury. Large typefaces and repeated language couple with humor to make this a fine offering for the newest reader. Pair this with Antoinette Portis's Not a Box (2006) for a look at the fun of creative play to lift anyone's spirit, even someone with a broken paw. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Large typefaces and repeated language couple with humor to make this a fine offering for the newest reader. Pair this with Antoinette Portis’s Not a Box for a look at the fun of creative play to lift anyone’s spirit, even someone with a broken paw.” — Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher