I Didn't Do It by MacLachlan, Patricia, Charest, Emily MacLachlan [Hardcover(2010/10/5)]

by Katy Schneider

What makes a puppy's day complete?Swimming and then shaking water all over you. Catching "presents" for you and then bringing them inside the house. Rolling in your nice wool sweater. Snuggling in your lap.In their second ode to canine companions, Patricia MacLachlan, Emily MacLachlan Charest, and Katy Schneider once again offer an irresistible glimpse into the mischievous canine mind. Captured here are adorable confessions and spirited accounts of the things that puppies do—and don't do—while in search of love, adventure, and treats from the table.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Animals, Dogs, Childrens, Humor, Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I am not as an older adult all that much a so-called dog person anymore, I have indeed very much enjoyed the sweet and from multiple different dogs’ perspectives poems of I Didn’t Do It.

For yes, Patricia MacLachlan, and her daughter Emily MacLachlan Charest, their blank non rhyming but always delightfully lyrical featured printed words are not only engagingly and humorously penned (and will likely enchant many if not most young readers or listeners, and in particular those children whose families own dogs as pets), honestly, when I am reading I Didn’t Do It, I am equally and constantly amazed at how much the MacLachlans in my humble opinion do manage to realistically capture the likely thoughts and feelings of many pet dogs and in particular regarding when they have been naughty and know they have been naughty. Because indeed, with ALL of the poems in I Didn’t Do It which have a dog misbehaving or wondering why the family might be annoyed for some reason (like chewed up slippers, nabbed food, bones etc. brought inside), I am totally reminded of the goofy but lovable Rottweiler of my childhood and how oh so many of the MacLachlans verses totally could be him, totally reflect especially what was in his expressive eyes when he had been a “bad boy” and was more than well aware of this.

But while the above certainly makes I Didn’t Do It sweetly nostalgic for me, it also renders me a trifle annoyed that there is not one single Rottweiler themed poem featured by Patricia MacLachlan and her daughter in I Didn’t Do It and I guess I am also hoping that this omission has been accidental and not something deliberate (for yes, if the MacLachlans have in fact specifically not included Rottweilers in I Didn’t Do It simply or even mainly because of the Rottweiler breed of dog’s in my opinion rather undeserved sinister reputation, yes, that would definitely personally bother and frustrate me).

And thus, even though the combination of Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest’s canine poetry and Katy Schneider’s expressively realistic whilst at the same time delightfully imaginative artwork is both successful and indeed shiningly five stars for me, that there are no Rottweilers featured either textually or illustratively is most definitely a major personal disappointment and enough so to lower my general rating for I Didn’t Do It from five to four stars.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a dog person, not a poetry person. And yet... if a puppy could tell you what he is thinking, I think it would have to come out as poetry, little fragmenty thoughts full of nouns - sweater, vacuum cleaner, food, paws - and wriggly verbs. Katy Schneider's paintings that accompany the poems are marvelous. Brushy and painterly, expressive and muscular. That puppy on the cover staring up at you - gosh, even an old sourpuss like me can't resist that pup!

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were certainly sweet poems from the dogs' POVs, and the paintings were adorable. However, there was not a single collie in the lot!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE the illustrations-- the one accompanying the poem "What I Don't Like" reminds me of Lady, my late Lab mix. I don't usually recommend poetry books, but I think that elementary age children--and dog lovers or all ages--would enjoy this.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I Didn't Do It is the second dog poetry collection written by Patricia Maclachlan, and her daughter, Emily Maclachlan Charest. The first, Once I Ate a Pie, is one of my favorite books of all time. I love the way it draws out the personality of each dog and brings it to life through the dog's own poetic narration. This second collection is not as strong as the first, but it still holds its own.

Here are just a few highlights:

The poem that opens the book, "Shhh.... I'm here" is about tiny newborn puppies who are "born in the soft overcoat quiet of someone's closet" and need lots of sleep because "Being born is very hard work." The accompanying painting is a sweet illustration of tiny puppy siblings huddled up in a heap for warmth.

No Name is about a bright-eyed gold-colored puppy who doesn't want to be called by any of those typical dog names. Instead of Flufffy, Spot, Riley, or Bitsy, he'd like to be called "Big Bad Bob!" The sweet little face in the illustration makes the poem laugh out loud funny, because this puppy looks anything but big and bad!

"Big" gives us the reflections of a large dog: "I flop / I gallop / I tumble/ I fall." But in the end, despite how much room he takes up, and how clumsy he can be, he knows his owners love his big size.

I am not a dog lover, so I read books like this mainly for the poetry. This book is a wonderful tribute to puppies, and will resonate best with anyone who has loved a dog. It also seems like the authors experimented more with language in this volume, which makes this collection more eclectic in terms of style, even if it is repetitive in content. Comparing the two, though, Once I Ate a Pie is stronger and will remain my favorite dog poetry book.

[Janet Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

Puppies rule in MacLachlan's collection of fourteen free-verse poems that share a puppy state of mind. A poem titled Rules begins: "No lick! / No bite! / No jump. / No bark. / No fun". Verses touch on an assortment of puppy-related topics: names, playing in the rain, capturing wriggling critters to present to owners and that puppy favorite - sleep... I'm tired./Being born/ is/very/hard/work.
My favorite..."What Did I Do??". I'll let you explore the book and discover the answer.
Illustrator Schneider's assortment of puppies (dachshund and beagle are only two) are captured in a variety of entertaining poses.

[Lynn Schlatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've come to enjoy poetry more than I used to, although it helps a lot if it's both light in tone and grounded in reality. I Didn't Do It scores high on both of these measures, plus it's about puppies, so what's not to like? Also, there's beautiful art; excellent page design (especially on "No Name," my favorite poem in the book); and good use of font color, size, and bold vs. regular. In other words, fun to both look at and read.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun follow up to Once I Ate a Pie by the same authors and illustrator. Both are entertaining books of poems about our rascally canine pets. We really enjoyed reading these aloud and had to laugh at the antics of the playful puppies.

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read this aloud yet because when I discovered it, I immediately gave it to the teacher who loved the first one. I'm sure it will be just as great as Once I Ate A Pie. Absolutely do not miss this poetry, perfect for K-5 and up.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

My desire to only adopt young adult dogs has been reaffirmed. These puppies are so cute and so naughty.

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing illustrations. Very cute words or poems.

My favorite is 'Every Night. My dog Tucker gets into bed with us every night. I am glad where I live I don't have to worry about him rolling into something bad while out and about or bringing anything that would crawl off him. He stays with us for a while, then gets hot and gets off the bed, later to return, and repeat when he gets too hot again. Love having him with me. We also used to have a Boston Terrier, and it slept under the covers with my son. So I like dogs in the bed with us, but I can understand where sometimes that doesn't make sense.

You just have to imagine the great illustration like looking down from the top of the head of someone laying in bed with a relaxed happy dog cuddling up to his mistress to go with the words:

Every night, you sing the song
About the stars
And moon

Every night you pat my head.

Every night you I climb under your quilt
And crawl
Down
Down
Down
Byy your warm feet.
And close my eyes.
And sleep.

Every night.

[Anna Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Didn’t Do It, is a sweet book filled with poems about puppies, great for young readers learning about poetry. The poems are told in the point of view of the puppies, a cute touch to make the reader look inside the brain of a puppy and how they might think. There are poems about their rules, their likes and dislikes, some trouble they get into, their appearance and snuggle or sleep time. I would definitely recommend this book to young poets who love dogs, or any dog lover at all! This book provides an opportunity for them to connect while reading a variety of poems.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and make the reader excited to flip the page to see what will come next. While some of the illustrations take up the entire page, others a simple, this adds to the readers excitement. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it would be great to use in a poetry unit in a classroom for students to explore different kinds of poetry.

[Kathryn]

OMG! How cute is that cover!?

[Lora Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry from a puppy's point of view, how delightful! I don't personally have a dog but my grown daughter and son have the most precious dogs that are part of our family. Many of the puppy poems in this wonderful book reminded me of experiences with my daughter and son's dogs when they were puppies. Sometimes it seemed as though, if they could talk, these poems are exactly what they would have told us!

[Tippy Bhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Didn't Do It is a charming and heartwarming picture book about what goes through your naughty little canine companion's mind. As the parent of a 19-month-old golden retriever puppy, I can completely relate to the adorable yet mischievous behavior depicted in this delightful book. An absolute must-have for all dog lovers. Your children will enjoy reading this book with you to truly understand how rewarding it is to have a canine companion in your life.

[Logan Wolford · Rating 3 out of 5]

" I Didn't Do It," is set up as a poem throughout the story. I personally expected more from the cover than how it ended. The story was sweet creative but not my type of book. Although, I loved the innocence of the dog in the story and illustrations.

[Rachel Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I have been reading a lot of children's books this week and this is adorable, but not so twee that I felt dumb reading it. Sweet, funny poems from a puppy's perspective. I laughed. My poetry-hating daughter laughed. Great book.

[Sailer Galusha-McRobbie]

Good for lower or middle elementary school students. A humorous book telling things from animals and pets point of view! The book has lots of poetic and literary elements which makes it rich, but the content of the book is funny and appealing to children.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A companion of sorts to Once I Ate a Pie, it's once again a lovely set of poems through the eyes of dogs. The illustrations are lifelike and match the ideas described, and who hasn't imagined these types of thoughts coming from their dog at one point or another?

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute and poetry

[Rivkah · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book. A perfect combination of poetry and artwork. This is a great way to introduce your child to different gendras and art forms. A must own.

[Stephanie Locascio · Rating 5 out of 5]

We laughed so hard at these poems!!

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Life with a puppy in poetry showing all the things that make you crazy and the things that endear them to you.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems done from the pov of dogs.

[Hope Irvin Marston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love dogs and I appreciated the artistry in this over-sized picture book, but the text just didn't seem apropos to me.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute book about puppies and the crazy things they do. Perfect for dog lovers.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[What April's Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This books accurately describes our current puppy.
Very cute poetry book about puppies.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG this book is so SAD! I just wanted to hug all the doggos and give them kissies. It’s a great book, but just be warned that it will give you FEELINGS.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The great Patricia MacLachlan again shows her impressive versatility, demonstrating that she is equally adept at the creation of soulful, emotionally affecting literature (Edward's Eyes, Journey, Word After Word After Word, etc.) and playful, charming picture books (Once I Ate a Pie, Bittle and, of course, this book). In my appraisal, I Didn't Do It is just as good as its predecessor, Once I Ate a Pie, a delight to read either by oneself or with a friend.

I Didn't Do It is comprised of a variety of poems, told from the perspective of a group of dogs that is just about as diverse as possible. The difference in their voices is distinct, yet they all have a sincerity of tone that tells us the dogs are mostly just trying to make themselves better understood, to let us know why they do the things they do whether their actions be naughty or commendable. Some of the stories are intended solely for a laugh, while others get down a little bit closer to the heart of the human-dog relationship, touching on the canine insecurities and ultimate bridge of trust that makes for such challenging and rewarding interspecies friendships.

I want to make special mention of the poem "Big", in which we see a large, somewhat ungainly dog who knows that many people wouldn't want such a large animal for a pet. Nevertheless, the dog knows that its owners accept it exactly for the size it is, not desiring a smaller dog that might be easier to manage. The dog's total confidence in being wanted reminds us that so many dogs are not that unconditionally accepted, and gives us an opportunity to think on how special it is when a good home for one is found. People, too, can relate to that same journey for love and acceptance in their own lives.

The poem "What I Don't Like" hits home for me, especially when the dog, in listing what it doesn't like, says "My food", and then adds "I like yours better." I know that's true for my dog, who won't give the food in her dish a second look when I'm having a meal. She has mastered the art of begging for human food, and of course we always accommodate her. In that particular poem, though, what really makes the verse deeply memorable is the accompanying illustration of the dog, which captures so much genuine personality that I feel as if I'm being stared at even as I write this review, with the book lying open beside me. In truth, the magnificent illustrations (provided by Katy Schneider, as they were for Once I Ate a Pie) are what makes most of the poems in I Didn't Do It as uniquely affecting as they are. I suspect that few dog owners who pick up this book and take a look at the cover artwork will be able to resisting reading the story.

Everyone involved in the making of this book did a really nice job, and I liked it very much. I would give it two and a half stars.