It's Duffy Time!

by Audrey Wood, Don Wood

Bestselling award-winners Don and Audrey Wood present a day in the life of an adorable pug who loves to take naps--and helps children learn how to tell time!

Loving, playful, and outgoing, Duffy makes it clear why pug dogs are one of America's most popular and beloved pets. In addition, as we follow Duffy through his gentle adventures, a clock is cleverly tucked into each illustration, showing children the time of day-and helping them learn how to tell time!

Like most pugs, Duffy loves to sleep, and from the time he wakes for breakfast to the time he prepares for bed, Duffy's day is punctuated by delicious naps: the Before Breakfast Nap; the After Breakfast Nap; the Late Morning Nap; and so on. When his best friend, a playful girl, comes home from school, Duffy helps her with her homework, follwed by his Early Evening Nap.

With their typical wry humor, the Woods end their story with Duffy and his friend wearing matching pajamas in bed, reading a book. Is Duffy sleepy now? Of course not.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Animals, Mathematics, Storytime, Family

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2012

About the author

Audrey Wood studied art and drama at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has owned an operated a book and import store, taught chldren's drama and art, and traveled throughout Mexico and Guatemala studying Indian folk art. She now lives in Hawaii with her talented family (husband Don and son Bruce, who have both collaborated with Audrey by illustrating some of her books).

Reviews

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that loves and understands animals. We thoroughly enjoyed this one.

[Danielle Gribbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Duffy Time! by Audrey Wood and Don Wood goes through the daily life of a lovable pug named Duffy. His busy day includes about seven naps, three meals, and playing with his best friend when she comes home from school.

The illustrations in It's Duffy Time! depict an adorable pug whose sleeping positions and funny faces will leave any audience member laughing. One of the best features of this book is the fact that the illustrations creatively show the time on a clock somewhere in each picture. Each of the times shown usually are paired with another name for that time of day. For example, at 11:45, Duffy takes his late morning nap, showing young audience members general names for the time of day.

Audrey and Don Wood do a great job of making this book both educational and fun. I would recommend it for any home or elementary school classroom.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wavered between there and four stars but Duffy's adorable nature made me bump this up. He is a sleepy but loving -- and lovable and funny -- little dog!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Toddler-Kindergarten
Animal: Dog, pug

A sweet book that looks at the passing of time through a dog's eyes, where time is measured in many, many naps.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a pet/dog book, I really enjoyed it. As a telling time book, it's a little weak. I loved how Duffy's day is passed with naps and food as marking time (as a cat person, this was VERY familiar) but the clocks in the background were pretty subtle sometimes, and with no text to support that detail in the illustrations, it isn't the best book for learning about telling time. Like I said, though, it's definitely a good pet book! What pet parent/pet family doesn't have similar stories to share about their own furry (or feathered or scaled) family member? Can see pulling it out for a storytime on dogs or pets before other themes.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute book about a pug named Duffy and how he spends his day:

- Wake Up Time
- Potty Time
- Before Breakfast Nap
- Breakfast
- After Breakfast Nap
- errands
- Late Morning Nap
- Mid-Day Nap
- Early Afternoon Nap
- DUFFY TIME!!!
- homework
- Before Dinner Nap
- walk in the park
- Early Evening Nap
- Bedtime

It's well-illustrated and very poignantly captures the life of a very loving dog with the family he loves! It's not a terribly challenging story, which is fine for the target audience (younger readers), and it has a wholesome tone that perfectly fits the simple life of a dog. Recommended for dog lovers!

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun story about a cute, adorable, lovable little pug. I'm partial to this story as I've owned several pugs over my lifetime. The illustrations are spot on. My only complaint about this book, is the part about the pirate hat just came out of the blue and did nothing for the story LOL. Other than that, the book pretty much adheres to the personality of a pug. Once again, the Woods did not disappoint.

[Michael Kearney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite what we expect from the Woods.

[Donna Mork · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable. Duffy the pug takes names throughout the day until his boy comes home from school. They play until it's homework time. Then at bedtime, Duffy is wide awake.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful, funny illustrations starring a nap-loving pug will delight dog lovers.

[Amanda Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great example of creating a routine and friendship.

[Greyson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me laugh because my dogs take just as many naps as Duffy. And I also wish i could take as many lol

[Sophia Sorrentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was based on a dog and how it ran around and took naps all day. It was very entertaining when I was younger and I really liked the dog and it's owner.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like all the scheduled dog naps and the reasons why.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute, funny picture book. Duffy is a dog, and this book follows a typical day in his happy life. He eats, plays and takes lots of naps -- a before breakfast nap, an after breakfast nap, a late morning nap, a mid-day nap, an early afternoon nap, etc. His best friend, a girl who could be anywhere between 6 and 12' comes home from school mid-afternoon and plays with Duffy. Then she needs to do her homework, and Duffy helps, by taking a nap (of course!) on her lap. The illustrations are well done, in a realistic style.

Most pages have a clock somewhere in the illustration marking the passage of time during the day, but this definitely does not feel like a book written to teach kids how to tell time, (I actually didn't notice the clocks the first time I read the book, and the text only refers to late morning, mid-day, etc., not to hours and minutes.) A sweet, fun read.


(Note: I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher at an American Library Association Annual Conference. I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Blue Sky Press!)

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a dog's life for the well-loved family dog, a pug named Duffy who spends his days napping in between brief bouts of activity. In his case, a dog's life is pretty pleasant, all things considered. Of course, by bedtime, he isn't sleepy at all, having slept so much of the day away. I love how comfortable Duffy looks as he snuggles with his best friend while she tries to do homework and read a book before bedtime. The text and illustrations depict Duffy making himself comfortable wherever he is. If a human happens to be sitting in his favorite chair, that's too bad. This picture book captures the affection between Duffy and his well-trained family and is just doggone fun to read.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are superb and you fall in love with this dog upon opening this book. Duffy is up and ready in the morning for his breakfast and after that.....it's naptime. All through the day, we witness the life of Duffy as he falls asleep everywhere it is possible for Duffy to catch ten winks. Time for food, fun and naps! When his best friend gets home from school, it's fun time but then it is back to some serious napping before dinner. The poses and the way the family incorporates Duffy into their lives, you feel a great connection with Duffy. Just when the family is turning off the lights to call it a day...........

[Teri Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duffy is a dog who naps all day long. There’s a before breakfast nap, an after breakfast nap, a late morning nap, a mid-day nap, an early afternoon nap, a before dinner nap, and an early evening nap. There are clocks in many of the illustrations—a good introduction to the concept of time. His family dresses him up for errands and bedtime.

Vocabulary: exhausted

LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Chart Duffy’s Naps: Make a pictorial chart of when and where Duffy naps. Use words about home and time.

Dress up stuffed animals for pretend around-the-town errands. Use language about the community.

Cross-curricular: Add the clock images from the book to the nap chart.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

One day in the life of Duffy the dog. Great for teaching preschoolers the time of day. Things happen in a sequence: mid-morning, late morning, early afternoon, etc. Also good for routines; Duffy does the same thing at the same time everyday.
The author has definitely nailed the lazy dog's life of napping and eating. But I had a few issues with why he had to wear his pirate costume to the bank. Why is he wearing clothes at all? The rest of the book is realistic; there's no need to throw that craziness in there.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

ANIMALS.

Huh, apparently I've read this before! Although I'm not a huge fan of Wood's artistic style, this one worked better for me than most. Duffy the dog has a very catlike approach to life -- it's all about the naps! This was a fun read I can see sharing with a kid.

Of course, I still have no idea about how books are sorted. This is clearly about a the life of a realistic dog, so ANIMALS works, but it's also about telling time as the author sneaks face clocks into as many pages as possible, so it could have gone under CONCEPTS.

[Aleap · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute story! Told from the perspective of Duffy the pug and family pet, you get to see his daily routines, from eating (a lot!), thinking about eating (even more!), sleeping (to rival his thinking about eating), playing with his young owner and mysteriously not being tired at the end of a nap-filled day, when his human companions are gearing down for the evening.

Funny, adorable, true to what I know of dog behavior, I would definitely recommend this to dog lovers, young or old.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man. So cute. Duffy is a pug who likes to nap. He takes many naps throughout the day and also eats a lot. Obviously the Woods know pugs. There are very subtle clocks scattered throughout so you can talk about what time each nap or meal is happening. Duffy also wears some outfits. I don't even know what to say, it's so cute.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got a little laugh out of Duffy and all of his naps. I like the relationship going on between the child and Duffy as well. The authors do a great job of portraying the life of a dog exactly as it is, they sleep (a lot), they eat (and think about eating all day), and they play with their humans. I think this would be a great read for any child with a pet.

[Jocelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Duffy the pug likes taking naps, and we hear about his before breakfast nap, his late-morning nap, his mid-day nap, his early afternoon nap, his before dinner nap, etc. along with the other important events in his day. Clocks are included in many illustrations to give children a chance to practice reading time.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone knows I can't resist any book with a pug in it. This book was no different. The illustrations were endearing, but the story itself wasn't much to write home about. Still, I couldn't resist the adorable Duffy!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duffy the pug likes to take naps. He naps before breakfast, after breakfast, at mid-day, in the afternoon and whenever he gets the chance. In between naps he eats and goes out with his family and plays with his best friend. Duffy is adorable and this picture book perfectly captures a dog's life.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take a tour through a typical day of a lovable pug. No surprise here, it's full of naps! Dog lovers will delight and artwork will cast a spell over readers wven if they've never looked twice at a pug. Good read aloud.

[Susan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone who has known or loved a dog will find this relatable. A day in the life of Duffy - wake up, eat, nap. Nap, nap, nap, nap. Play time! etc.

Cute, but not fantastic. For the real dog-lover in your life.

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for dog lovers!!! Age appropriate, adorable in the ways only dogs are and full of the ridiculous humor and unconditional love dogs bring with them into families--especially families with children.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children will enjoy this simple, sugary sweet story of Duffy the Pug. Duffy definitely has a daily routine but sometimes needs to be reminded in what order things come. Duffy surely does like his naps!