Seagulls, Underwear, Butts, and Talking to the Animals
Let loose with some crazy summer titles from Dover Books
“I need a new butt,” cries the young hero when he discovers — horrors! — that his backside has a crack in it. In I Need a NEW BUTT, the narrator wonders how on earth this happened. Could it be because he’s spent the summer whooshing down water slides and riding his BMX bike over piles of dirt?
But maybe it’s not a problem: it’s an opportunity. Think of the possibilities! A new butt could be multicolored or made out of titanium — altogether stronger and more interesting than the one currently in use. Make sure to visit the Scottish Granny to get a better idea of how hard it is to read this book out loud AND keep a straight face!
I Need a NEW BUTT is one of a goofy-fun trio of titles from author Dawn McMillan and illustrator Ross Kinnaird. If you’ve never heard of this creative pair, now’s a good time to get acquainted. They live in New Zealand, have collaborated on many picture books, and have won many awards in their country as well as Canada.
Consider also the outrageous underwear of Dr. Grundy. In Doctor Grundy’s Undies, some alarming skivvies go flying about when they were meant to stay on the clothesline and dry. Will Dr. Grundy’s neighbors ever recover? And will the underpants come home?
Seagull Sid and the Naughty Things his Seagulls Did is a tale not of naughtiness, but of some righteous activist birds who are sick of litter and trash. Look out below as Sid and his gang take aim at the humans!
Doctor Grundy, Sid, and the boy who needs a new butt are new friends. But don’t forget about the old! It’s been almost 100 years since Doctor Doolittle discovered that he could talk to the animals. He’s been celebrated on the stage and on the screen since the 1930s when a radio drama was performed for American audiences. Enjoy Dover’s reprint — in hardcover, no less — of the Newberry award-winning title, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle.
Author and illustrator Hugh Lofting began working on his stories while serving in World War I. Rather than write letters home about the horrors of war, he wrote stories to entertain his children and included original illustrations. His background as an engineer is on full display in his art, which is both precise and whimsical. In The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, we are introduced to the gentle and kind man by way of young Tommy Stubbins, a boy with a taste for adventure. Click on over to Dover Publications to see this and other great volumes to add to your library of must-haves for young readers.
