THREE PROS
*Using a robot as a filter to demonstrate to kids the value of exploring the world around them (given all the things they might miss from just reading or hearing about concepts) was a wise choice
*I expected Doug to have trouble interacting with a human child, so I was pleasantly surprised when he so easily gravitated to companionship
*Encouraging boys and girls to go and hug their parents after telling them about everything that happened that day is never a bad thing
*Encouraging boys and girls to go and hug their parents after telling them about everything that happened that day is never a bad thing
THREE CONS
*Lacks any sort of memorable quality -- it felt like it could be any other children's book (albeit with better-than-average illustrations and a cohesive beginning, middle, and end) with some slight modifications
*Encourages a lot of wacky, and possibly dangerous, behavior -- from peering in open manholes to handling trash to jumping on wet cement
*Encourages a lot of wacky, and possibly dangerous, behavior -- from peering in open manholes to handling trash to jumping on wet cement
*All of the statistics were great, but since I'm assuming the 'city' refers to New York, why not just call it that so that some kid in Walla Walla doesn't start searching for the 500 million pigeons that don't exist there
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Remember that MTV series called Unplugged? Maybe you were a fan, but I found about 95% of the tunes came off as watered down versions of the originals. [Put another way, for every Maxwell or Eric Clapton hit single, there were about ten songs that only sapped the energy out of homes across the land.] All in the spirit of being more indie or hip or whatever. To me, it's like the network's producers' attempt to break down the craft to its most natural level ended up making each experience feel more like a robotic exercise than a way to showcase the core beauty of music. Dan Yaccarino's book about Doug has a similar quality to it. Anyone can see what the author was trying to do, but the results lack the charge I desire out of my kidlit.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Remember that MTV series called Unplugged? Maybe you were a fan, but I found about 95% of the tunes came off as watered down versions of the originals. [Put another way, for every Maxwell or Eric Clapton hit single, there were about ten songs that only sapped the energy out of homes across the land.] All in the spirit of being more indie or hip or whatever. To me, it's like the network's producers' attempt to break down the craft to its most natural level ended up making each experience feel more like a robotic exercise than a way to showcase the core beauty of music. Dan Yaccarino's book about Doug has a similar quality to it. Anyone can see what the author was trying to do, but the results lack the charge I desire out of my kidlit.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
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