Jeff Jarka spins us a tale of a boy named Peter who one day decides to dress and act like a puppy. Will it be positively woof-derful or simply arf-ul?
THREE PROS
*Jeff's Sunday Comics imagery reminds me of a more vibrant version of Calvin and Hobbes
*The dog vs. mailman routine is sketched masterfully
*The inside covers are eye-catching in their synchronous simplicity
THREE CONS
*The off chance that your son or daughter will decide to follow Peter's lead is enough of a reason to never open it
*Almost a third of the pages (8 of 26) show some member of the household with an expression of pure anger -- that's entirely too much hate for a kiddie book
*Including the concept of schoolwork seems inappropriate since the majority of readers will not be at that stage yet
ONE DAD'S OPINION
Unlike most of my bad reviews, I actually feel like a bit of a jerk for my reaction here. From everything I have read about Mr. Jarka during my supplemental research, he seems like a guy whose sense of humor might mirror mine. His artwork is some of the best I have ever seen in this arena and his writing style is in no way amateurish. Still, at the end of the day, something about LTP doesn't work for either me or my wife (and my son is only slightly more interested in it). Much like an old tennis ball you find at the dog park, you can get an hour's worth of use out of it but will leave it behind when it's time to go home.
Buy / Borrow / DONATE / Destroy
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