We Love You, Rosie!
Written by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Linda Davick
Beach Lane Books    2/28/2017
978-1-4424-6511-4
48 pages     Ages 2—6
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“Up, down. In, out.
Good, bad. Here, there—
Rosie is a very busy dog.

“But wherever she goes
and whatever she does,
her family ALWAYS
loves her.
[INSIDE JACKET]

Review
[WC 467]
Rosie is a cute dachshund puppy. The dark skinned, unnamed boy and girl (brother and sister) love Rosie very much and express this feeling to her regularly throughout the day. In six sections—could easily be chapters in an early reader—Rosie explores the opposite decisions she can make, trying each possibility with the children’s support.

Rosie, is it DAY or Night? Would Rosie like to do go UP or DOWN, IN or OUT, HERE or THERE? Rosie, have you LOST or FOUND something? And, Rosie, the big question for any dog, is, are you GOOD or BAD?

Rosie answers each set of opposites in her own way. She climbs UP onto the kids’ laps as they sit on a wingback chair reading. Laying in her doghouse, Rosie’s elongated body puts Rosie both IN and OUT. My favorite: Rosie peers into a whole in the ground. First the kids say, “Hello, Rosie.” and then they ask,
Turning the page, the kids ask Rosie, now with dirt caked on her chest and snout, what she found, using the exact formula above, exchanging FOUND for LOST. Another page turn finds the kids giving Rosie a much-needed bath. One final turn and the kids are splayed with water when Rosie shakes out of her coat. A nice four-spread set.
Each set of opposites are written in a similar fashion, sort of like the old readers most parents used to begin their reading journey. The text is composed of basic words found on most young children’s word list. Repetition is extensively used to good effect. Children will soon be reading this book on their own, whether from repeated hearings or from working out the words on their own. Soon they will gain confidence in their reading and learn to relate each spread to the text.
The illustrations use simple colors and basic shapes to construct each spread. White space is planned out wisely for good effect. Since neither child was given a name, any child who wants can slip into the story. I love the repetition of, “We love you, Rosie” (or a similar variation), after Rosie has worked out the opposites. This statement reinforces the children’s love they feel for Rosie, who surely feels the same way. We innately love our family, which includes our close pals, be they cats or dogs.
We Love You, Rosie makes a great story time choice for teachers, librarians, and homeschooling parents looking for diversity in children’s books. Children will definitely give up many giggles for Rosie and her two kids. With the big, bold, easy text, children can often figure out each word on their own—what confidence this will give them!

We Love You, Rosie is worthy of shelf space on your child’s bookcase.

WE LOVE YOU, ROSIE! Text copyright © 2017 by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrations copyright © 2017 by Linda Davick. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Beach Lane Books, New York, NY.

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Reprinted with permission from WE LOVE YOU, ROSIE! © 2017 by Cynthia Rylant, Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. Illustrations © 2017 by Linda Davick.

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Copyright © 2017 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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We Love You, Rosie!
Written by Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Linda Davick
Beach Lane Books 2/28/2017
9781442465114