Hound Dog Christmas

It's Christmas Eve.  Cinnamon, herbs and evergreen scents perfume the air.  Lights reflect off an ornament-filled tree as carols softly play.  Stockings are hung by the chimney.  Nearby cookies cover a plate next to a glass full of milk, waiting for a nighttime visitor.

There are not many evenings where anticipation runs higher.  Those special creatures who share our homes sense something out of the ordinary is in the works; knowing exactly what to expect unless this is their first December.  But then again, surprises come in all shapes and sizes as one particular basset hound discovers in Charlie and the Christmas Kitty (Harper) by Ree Drummond with illustrations by Diane deGroat.


Well, howdy!
Charlie the ranch dog here, reporting from
the country.

The ever-helpful (in his mind) Charlie is back with his energetic friend, Suzie, and his tiny, constant companion, a chipmunk.  More of a supervisor than a worker, the lovable, loyal, laid-back basset basically likes to sleep despite his title of King of the Ranch.  Overseeing the bringing in and decorating of the tree has him all tuckered out.

The dinging of a bell startles him out of his snooze.  What's this new furry being?! It's...it's...it's...a rabbit!  No, rabbits don't meow.  Ah, shucks...it's a kitty!

This new state of affairs has caught Charlie completely off-guard.  There's only one thing to do.  A nap should solve this problem; perhaps it's only a dream.

Well, it's not a dream.  Despite all his attempts to make the best of this situation he is persistently pursued by this feline who clearly wants to be his friend.  Kitty finally hits the right spot, finding what Charlie needs after a hard day's work on the ranch.  Ahhh...What?! Oh, no!


Charlie's first person narrative has a very distinctive voice as a canine member of a ranching family relating the events of a not-so-typical day.  Ree Drummond clearly understands Charlie, presenting his outlook with ample humor.  His thought processes and sleep-oriented solutions will elicit grins and giggles.


Illustrations created using Winsor & Newton watercolor paint over digital art by Diane deGroat capture the spirit of the season and life on the ranch.  The realistic, brightly colored front cover is a definite draw as is the photograph of Ree Drummond holding Charlie on the back with the added detail of the kitty batting the bowed bell attached to the barcode. Rich, red endpapers followed by Charlie clad in a Santa hat beneath the title get readers ready for some Christmas cheer.

Alternating between double page spreads, single pages and insets on a page, combining Charlie's perspective with more panoramic views, readers feel right at home.  All the added details enhance and extend the text; the cattle in the background, one looking right in the window as the tree is decorated, Christmas stockings with Charlie's and Suzie's pictures on them, the chipmunk sleeping with Charlie often under his ear.  The expressions on Charlie's face are portrayed so well even without the text we readers know his mood, his thoughts.


Whether you read the first book, Charlie the Ranch Dog (Harper, 2011) (reviewed here) or not, Charlie and the Christmas Kitty will be a Christmas favorite of dog and cat lovers and fans of The Pioneer Woman.  The combined talents of Ree Drummond and Diane deGroat bring the everyday happenings on a ranch, through Charlie's eyes, to life in a warm and welcoming way for all readers.  On the final page is Charlie's Favorite Christmas Cookies ( for human consumption). According to the publisher's website two more titles are in the works for the summer of 2013.
RRRROOOWW-OOOOOH!

Make sure to follow the embedded links in both Drummond's and deGroat's names to get to their websites.  There is a series of pages devoted to Charlie at The Pioneer Woman.  Here is a link to the Browse Inside feature at Harper to see more of the book.

Hound Dog Heaven

When a woman introduces her blog: My name is Ree--I'm a desperate housewife.  I live in the country.  I channel Lucille Ball, Vivien Leigh, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier! readers immediately know that they are in for a humorous treat . Ree Drummond began chronicling her life as the wife of a cattle rancher in 2006.  By 2009 The Pioneer Woman  had earned the Weblog of the Year Award given at the Weblog Awards.  The Pioneer Woman Cooks; Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl was published in October 2009.  A series of blog posts became a book in February 2011 titled The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels--A Love Story.  You just never know what you will discover when gathering information about the author of a new book.

Now three weeks on the New York Times Best Sellers list, Charlie the Ranch Dog is Drummond's first book for children.  The droll tongue and cheek narrative found in her blog posts is present in spades as a day in the life of Charlie unfolds.

After Charlie introduces himself and his best doggie friend, Suzie, readers turn pages that compare their traits only to have Charlie tell them:   But all that stuff doesn't really matter anyway.  'Cause tall or short, slow or fast, tiny ears or floppy ears, there's plenty of work around here for both of us. 

As Charlie relates the days events from getting up in the morning, to chasing cows out of the yard, to sniffing the porch steps for critters or helping Mama in the garden, it won't take readers long to figure out that what he says and what he does are two separate things.  In fact midway through-It isn't even lunchtime yet, and I've already worked harder than most dogs out there.  I think I'll just sit down and rest for a minute.  I think I'll just...ZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

It seems that when it comes to napping and food, especially bacon, Charlie is the champion.  When he wakes up from one of those short little snoozes only to find everyone gone, Charlies decides to take---you guessed it--another nap. But lo and behold those big floppy ears hear cows getting in Mama's garden and Charlie lets loose with a big howl.  What would this ranch do without him?!

Unlike Charlie's short legs this story is long on laughter and...love.  For it is obvious that despite his need for shut-eye Charlie has found a warm, cozy spot in this author's heart.

Diane deGroat began illustrating books for others in 1973.  After 20 years she wrote and illustrated her own book, Annie Pitts Artichoke.  Her first picture book was Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink.  Fans  of those Gilbert books rejoice; she is working on her thirteenth book in the series. 

Her artwork in Charlie the Ranch Dog is a true reflection of the playful tone found in the author's text as well as a clever depiction of what is really happening despite what Charlie is telling his readers.  Each one and two page spread reveals another small friend accompanying Charlie throughout his day.  Will readers find this furry companion? 

I encourage you to follow the links for both the author's blog and illustrator's web site.  In every way possible way they are outstanding.