Product Description

When May was little, she begged and pleaded for a dog. Now that she’s all grown up, she’s finally got him. Julian is a big-eared, high-spirited farm dog, whose job is to chase groundhogs out of the garden. In fact, Julian chases anything that moves, from cars to the neighbor’s horse. And he also chases May’s gentle black cat Victoria, and her kitten Ricky Rainbow, who scramble for safety whenever Julian appears. But one day Julian proves that he really is a good dog, a hero in fact, and May, Victoria, and Ricky Rainbow can really count him part of their family.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2166671 in Books
• Published on: 1999-12-15
• Released on: 1999-12-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 24 pages

From Publishers Weekly
This picture book reads more like a dog's biography than fiction. The female narrator tells of her once-peaceful life on a farm with her two cats Victoria and Rocky Rainbow. Because the groundhogs were eating all the vegetables, she acquired a dog, named Julian, to chase them. But Julian chased everything: groundhogs, the cats, even his owner's car down bumpy roads. After nearly drowning in a well, Julian became more docile, but he still chased the cats. Only when one cat was lost (and Julian tracked him down) did the narrator's life once again become serene. Khalsa ( Tales of a Gambling Grandma , My Family Vacation ) expands her perspective in this newest book. In her other titles, each picture is like a portrait of a particular moment; in this one, the action unwinds across the top of a spread and then hurls back along the bottom. Her colors and patterns, as usual, are boldly harmonious--strong images overlap and collide, creating surprising images of exceptional verve. Ages 6-8.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 2-- The gradual civilization of a big, bumptious yellow dog is the theme of this leisurely personal reminiscence. Julian's mission on the farm is to chase groundhogs from the vegetable garden, but he also chases cats, cows, a racehorse, and cars. He jumps up roughly on his owner, a young woman, and persecutes Victoria and her kitten, Ricky Rainbow. After a chastening fall into a well and a stern lecture, Julian becomes a gentle companion to his mistress and eventually even a friend and protector of the cats, but he remains a bit eccentric in his habits. Although appealing as an accurate picture of a young dog overflowing with headstrong energy, the story is episodic and discursive. Brilliant paintings done in Khalsa's decorative, flat, simplified, realistic style in a variety of sizes, shapes, and placements are the principal asset of the book. The richness of the colors, the crisp delineation of the dynamically arranged shapes, the lushness of the country setting, and the multitude of interesting, intricate details throughout give strong eye appeal. The whole, however, is not as successfully integrated as I Want a Dog (1987) or How Pizza Came to Queens (1989, both Potter) .
-Patricia Pearl, First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
?A leisurely story recounted in quiet confidence.?
?Globe and Mail -- Review