Product Description

Fourth of July fun! When hungry ants eat up his family's Fourth of July picnic, McDuff puts his nose to the ground and uncovers a reward even better than meatballs!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #365046 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-31
• Released on: 2005-05-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Amazon.com Review
On a Fourth of July picnic with his human family, McDuff, a beloved but trouble-mongering white terrier, inadvertently allows "silent invaders" (namely, ants) to make off with the entire contents of the lunch basket. Luckily, McDuff has a way with strangers (and their picnic baskets), and in no time flat, he's finagled an invitation from a lonely older man to share his meal with the family.

Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers's series about the earnest pooch and his expanding community of friends and family harkens back to quainter days, when baby carriers were buckled into cars with leather straps and kind gentlemen didn't mind sharing their fried chicken and devil's food cake with strangers. Jeffers's inviting paintings of 1930s cars and fashions, and of course the little white dog himself, are warm and appealing. Readers who loved McDuff Goes to School and McDuff's New Friend will enjoy this summery entry in the series. (Ages 3 to 5) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
When a pack of ants invades owners Fred and Lucy's Fourth of July picnic, the Westie star finds the perfect solution in McDuff Saves the Day by Rosemary Wells, illus. by Susan Jeffers.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-The sweet, furry pup is back again in a slightly longer tale. Fred, Lucy, their baby, and McDuff are going on a Fourth of July outing and the car is full-to-overflowing with baby gear and picnic paraphernalia. After stopping twice, once to walk and water the dog and again to feed the child, they finally reach Lake Ocarina. McDuff is put in charge of guarding the picnic basket while Lucy and Fred unload the car. When ants carry off their provisions, the West Highland terrier goes in search of food and discovers Mr. DiMaggio's meatballs. The older gentleman shares his picnic with the young family so no one is hungry and no one is lonely. When Mr. DiMaggio plays "The Star-Spangled Banner" on his concertina, the baby's wails and McDuff's howls signal the end of the celebration. Jeffers's humorous illustrations-sometimes four to a page-reveal the day in detail and depict the summer holiday with an old-fashioned flavor. The dog's various expressions are perfectly represented, showing his contentment, surprise, determination, hunger, dismay, and satisfaction. The text will strike a chord with parents who understand all the work that traveling with a young child entails, and youngsters will be pleased to see that this lovable canine has returned.
Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Howling success
This fourth of July book is a charming addition to the Mc Duff series. The activity of the little Westie is captured succinctly by the brilliant use of split scenes on some of the pages. For instance, the four scenes when Mc Duff couln't make up his mind where to sit, very clearly show the activities of the little dog. First he is in the front seat, then he is in the back seat crawling over the front seat, then he jumps out the door when the car stops, and in the last scent he is waiting for his water bowl. This is very clever artistry on behalf of the illustrator.It is the best in the series.

A Dog's Life: Everything Goes McDuff's Way!
McDuff, the irrepressible White Highland Terrier, joins owners Fred, Lucy, and their little baby for a traditional Fourth of July picnic in this immensely satisfying book. Susan Jeffers' beautiful rich colors, blend of comic strip panels and large-format pictures, and attention to period accuracy convincingly portray the post-war patriotism, hope, and economic prosperity of the late 1940's and early 1950's. Her drawings evoke Norman Rockwell, Boy Scout magazines, and the woodblock pictures that graced early children's books, and they are a major factor in the book's huge appeal.

Rosemary Wells once again writes a McDuff series book with humor, warmth, and just a bit of mischief, qualities found in her famous "Max and Ruby" series (e.g., "Max's Dragon Shirt"). There's Lucy and Rick tomfoolery in the opening scenes as McDuff and Fred keep switching seats during the drive. Finally:

"Fred had to sit in the backseat with the baby and the chicken. 'He always gets the front seat in the end,' said Fred. McDuff stretched out in the front seat and fell into a sausage-squirrel dream."

Wells and Jeffers also pull off a clever perspective switch as we see McDuff's version of how the picnic disappeared. In McDuff's version, marauding ants "penetrated the picnic basket by the hundreds. In a few short minutes, the picnic was gone." We see five ants (only 5!) ferreting away a sandwich, and organized, orderly lines of ants absconding with cookies, candy, and cupcakes. Jeffers, as masterful with facial expressions as with large-scale compositions, shows McDuff conveniently looking away, trying hard to look innocent.

And just how does McDuff save the day? By eating the meatballs of neighboring picnicker Mr. DiMaggio. (The authors go a little heavy on an Italian stereotype here.) After DiMaggio yells for help, the family joins him in a generously shared, copious lunch. As now expected from the ever-fortunate dog, McDuff gets a turkey-and tomato sandwich out of it! A glorious fireworks display ends this idyllic Fourth, as Fred, once again, winds up in the front seat. This is an exceptional book, with outstanding pictures, imaginative humor, and a gentle but compelling narrative.

McDuff Saves the Day
As with all 'McDuff' stories, this book is very well drawn, and a child could tell it to an adult based on the pictures in the book, after the child had heard the story a few times. It is charmng, friendly telling of a fun family outing. All McDuff books would be good in daycares for story time!