Rugby and Rosie

From Kirkus ReviewsRossiter's first book is a moving and informative account of a family and the puppy they raise for a year, until she is old enough to train to become a guide dog. Rosie is a yellow Labrador retriever puppy, and Rugby is the family's chocolate Lab. The story is told by a boy who is best friends with both of them. Boys and dogs spend hours playing together, but Rosie gets special training, too. Her family is strict with her about begging at the table or jumping up on people; they help her grow accustomed to traffic and commotion by taking her downtown to stores, on city buses, and other places her new owner will need her. Particularly well-limned are the boy's mixed feelings as Rosie's departure draws near. He wants her to succeed as a guide dog, but if she fails he'll be able to keep her. When Rosie does leave, it's Rugby, of course, who suffers the most, without an understanding of where his friend has gone. The golden, sun-drenched paintings convey the warmth and love evident in the story, and capture all the action of the two lovable dogs at the story's center. An afterword provides facts on guide dogs and an address to write for more information. A resonant debut. (Picture book. 5-9) -- Copyright ?1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.Rugby, the family's beloved Labrador retriever, finds himself unhappy with the new house guest, Rosie, a puppy brought home to be trained as a guide dog, but they soon become the closest of friends, until she has to leave to do the important work for which she is trained.From School Library JournalGrade 1-3?A young boy and his dog, Rugby, welcome a new puppy that will live with them for a year before leaving to train as a guide dog. The simple text is interspersed with brief facts about guide dogs; a full-page afterword provides a more complete overview and an address to write to for more information. The flat declarative sentences describe the characters' activities and feelings, but do not evoke emotion or drama. Rossiter has a stronger sense of design and pattern than of illustration. The pictures, generally one to a page, follow the text but are infused with a reddish light that tends to rob them of the feeling of space. The people seem awkward and posed, although a few of the depictions of the two dogs will appeal to young animal lovers. While this book doesn't rise to the level of a good picture storybook, it does provide an adequate, albeit abbreviated, introduction to raising a guide dog. Caroline Arnold's A Guide Dog Puppy Grows Up (Harcourt, 1991) gives a more complete view of the process by following one dog from puppyhood to graduation and includes lively and appealing photographs.?Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KYCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.ReviewRossiter's first book is a moving and informative account of a family and the puppy they raise for a year, until she is old enough to train to become a guide dog. Rosie is a yellow Labrador retriever puppy, and Rugby is the family's chocolate Lab. The story is told by a boy who is best friends with both of them. Boys and dogs spend hours playing together, but Rosie gets special training, too. Her family is strict with her about begging at the table or jumping up on people; they help her grow accustomed to traffic and commotion by taking her downtown to stores, on city buses, and other places her new owner will need her. Particularly well-limned are the boy's mixed feelings as Rosie's departure draws near. He wants her to succeed as a guide dog, but if she fails he'll be able to keep her. When Rosie does leave, it's Rugby, of course, who suffers the most, without an understanding of where his friend has gone. The golden, sun-drenched paintings convey the warmth and love evident in the story, and capture all the action of the two lovable dogs at the story's center. An afterword provides facts on guide dogs and an address to write for more informa