Always

PreS-Gr 1In spare poetic prose, an endearing dog of indeterminate breed declares to its young owner: "I am the keeper of the castle. This castle. And I will keep the castle safe." The "castle" is a cottage on the beach, and the tiny pup goes on to enumerate a variety of tasks, including guarding against monsters (spiders), halting an avalanche (of toys in the cupboard), diverting meteors (standing on the rooftop ready with a baseball bat), stopping "savage beasts" (pirate mice), calming the sea, etc. All of these fanciful and heroic exploits are delightfully depicted. The dog ends up by saying: "Why, you ask? Do you mean to say you don't know? Because you live here." Rendered in pencil and then digitally colored, the artwork set against soft pastel pages provides a perfect match for the whimsical text, and together they portray the love between the two friends beautifully. This book is a lovely read for a child on an adult's lap, where the pictures of the dog's expressions and antics can be fully appreciated and savored."Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA" Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

The author of "Someday" pens another declaration of lovethis time in frankly comic mode. A girl in overalls sits on the front porch of her little wooden house. I am the keeper of the castle, her diminutive spotted pooch tells her, one paw on his chest, the other held dramatically out to the side. And I will keep the castle safe. In successive spreads, Lemaître ("Doctor Ted") shows the dog in roguish scenes of derring-do: fighting a duel with a furry enemy atop the peak of the roof (I will tame the squirrels) and barking at a gang of mouse pirates whose ship's sail is a sock (I will chase away evil). The dog's statements grow ever more grandiose: I will divert meteors, he says, standing on a chimney armed with a baseball bat. Why, you ask? the canine Cyrano asks in closing, as the girl scoops him up and cradles him in her hands. Because "you" live here. Succinct, funny and, in its way, action-packed, this is written in the universal language of affectiononly the stonyhearted could withstand its charms. Ages 48. "(June)" Copyright 2009 Publishers Weekly Used with permission.