one official day late (but it was made on the 21st!)
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Bark Park
by Karen Gray Ruelle
Peachtree Publishers 2008/2013
978-1-56145-434-1
Age 2 to 6 32 pages
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“Welcome to Bark Park, where dogs of every shape, size, and personality romp and roam. Energetic rhymes are punctuated with cheerful collage illustrations in this bouncy, fast-paced frolic that is doggone fun!”
Opening
“Hound dog, round dog, on the run. Strolling, rolling, having fun.”
Review
Now in paperback, Bark Park is back for a new round of listening ears. Originally published in 2008, the bouncy text rhymes perfectly, making it a joy to read aloud. The simple text is perfect for younger kids. Bark Park, whether read quickly or slowly has a smooth flow and a singsong happy beat. Older kids, closer to age eight than four, will understand most of the words though some will be new.
“Hot dog, dot dog, in the park.
Fat dog, rat dog. Bark! Bark! Bark!”
The pages of Bark Park contain nearly every conceivable breed of dog, including a mutt. The dogs are spending part or their day at a dog park, chasing, playing, lazing, and just having fun. The illustrations show the dogs coming to the park, having their fun, returning home, and then readying for a night of restful sleep. Some illustrations run edge-to-edge while others are vignettes. All are in soft, hand-painted watercolors with a matte texture, which I love. Don’t get me wrong, the dogs are dogs. Crazy canines catching balls, racing down sticks, lapping up water, and if there is any, rolling in the mud. The art was originally part of an exhibit—The Dog Days of Summer—called a Pack of Dogs, and had 54 different dog cutouts in a small box.That was a high concentration of doggy-breathe!
Every page is loaded with dogs and, one little surprise at least once on every spread. You won’t find it in the old-fashioned bathtub, where three dogs clean up after playing in the park. You won’t find it while a grey dog makes a surprise pounce on top of a golden brown dog, jumping over a beautiful red tulip to catch his playmate. If you look hard enough, and look for something one does not usually think of when thinking of dogs, you just might find it. Young children and anyone who loves dogs will enjoy Bark Park; even a cat-person like myself enjoys all these dogs. Now, you can enjoy Bark Park in paperback at a new, lower price.
BARK PARK. Text and illustrations copyright © 2008 by Karen Grey Ruelle. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Peachtree Publishers, Atlanta, GA.
Buy Bark Park at Amazon
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Learn more about Bark Park HERE.
Meet the author / illustrator, Karen Grey Ruelle, at her website: http://karenruelle.carbonmade.com/
Find more books at the Peachtree Publishers (blog) website: http://peachtree-online.com/
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Also by Karen Grey Ruelle
The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust
Mother’s Day Mess: A Harry & Emily Adventure
The Tree
The Monster in Harry’s Backyard: A Harry & Emily Adventure
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Kids Lit Review 
A dog book with Rhythm! Excellent!
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This looks like such a cute book. Canines just want to have fun! Great review, Sue!
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Oh, no! Guess what song is now in my head and will not go away? But it is true, dogs love to have fun, especially if a squirrel or mouse (rat) shows up. “And the chase is on.” That would cause so much havoc in a dog park. Cool! 🙂
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Cool. I think I would enjoy this book. The rhyme of the story is great. 🙂
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It is fun to read and the illustrations are cool. There is no dog park where I live, but there will be if I ever get to move. I think a dog park would be fun. If you are addicted to picture books, you will like Bark Park.
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A wonderfully cool dog book about wonderfully cool dogs having wonderfully cool fun. Get it? Dogs are more fun than, say, cats. The illustrations are great too.
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Hey! What is wrong with cats? I have really cool cats, who do really cool (they think) things, that their really cool mom only glares at them and they stop, because they are really cool cats. One even enjoys walking outside on a leash where he covers up the scents left by wonderfully cool dogs and has taken control of a really cool stone. So, yeh, dogs are wonderfully cool and I can’t wait to have a cool dog of my own to play with my really cute and cool cats because cats are cool, too.
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This sounds like it is officially my favorite book in the whole, wide world. I hope Mom buys it for me. So much fun.
Love and licks,
Cupcake
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There have been so many doggie books lately. I keep thinking I will find one about you. I’ll keep looking.
I think this is an official dog book for every dog and every breed is there playing in the park. I hope you get a copy. The middle spread (last one above) is the best spread–a poster kind of spread. You could put it above your bed or on the wall by your bed. Enjoy!! Cupcake’s Bark Park
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