Smick

by Doreen Cronin, Juana Medina (Illustrator)

Smick is a BIG dog.
Sit, Smick.
Chick is a little chick.
Stay, Smick!
So what happens when they see a stick?

Written by New York Times bestselling author Doreen Cronin and ingeniously illustrated by newcomer Juana Medina, Smick is a story of unlikely friendship, a sense of adventure, and a lot of wonderful wordplay.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Animals, Childrens, Friendship, Storytime, Birds

40 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 5, 2015

About the author

Doreen Cronin (born 1966) is an American writer of children's books, including Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type, a very well-received picture book illustrated by Betsy Lewin.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's a lot of fun!

Smick, who appears to be drawn with a marker, interacts with a real stick, and a chick who's made out of a feather.



There's really no story, and a simple one to four words per page, but I have no doubt kids will want to hear this one again and again.

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smick is a dog who finds a stick and meets a chick. Smick looks like he is drawn with a marker. The pictures are very expressive. The chick is colorful and the stick looks like it was photoshopped into the pictures. There are minimal, large-typed words for easy reading. This book would be great for toddlers and up.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely sparse, both in language and picture. But would be great for practicing rhyming, and good for a storytime conversation with very youn children.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Notable for a non-offensive use of the term "sidechick". :)

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book got two stars for Medina’s illustrations. Otherwise it really only deserved one star.

This isn’t a story. You have got to be kidding!

[skcocnaH · Rating 1 out of 5]

The only thing that I could care about during the entirety of this story is the fact that nobody has addressed that Smick has a huge tumor on his brain. He will probably die in 3 to 6 weeks and no one is adressing this. They’re just talking about sticks.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Smick seems like a dim witted dog who loves his sidechick.

Ride or die!

[Ro Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

smick was a little lackluster and a little derpy! That's what made him cute though. Poor smick.

[Kerry (The Roaming Librarian) O'Donnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super cute, simple and sweet.

[Lauren Shell]

Smick! is about a dog named Smick. He plays fetch in the book and meets a new friend. This book tells the story of friendship between a dog and a chick. It doesn't have very many word but it has a good story in it.

I really liked how in this book you really had to look at the pictures in it to get the full story of what was happening. Like on the first page is say "Smick." and that's it. But if you look at the picture you see a dog with his ear raised telling us that his name is Smick. I also liked how almost all the words in the book rhymed.

This book could be used if you were teaching a lesson over -ck words. It could also be used in teaching a lesson over rhyming because it is a great example of that. It also could be used to teach the students about friendship by looking at the way that Smick and the chick became friends even though they were different animals.

[Brooke Milone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not really like this book. I just don't feel like it was a good book. The one word commands, and not knowing where it came from at first was awkward to me. I did like though how he became friends with the bird at the end and listened to his commands. It showed a friendship, and how it can happen with anyone. Even a bird and a dog!

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Those that have ever introduced a small, fragile new pet to a much bigger dog will definitely smile at the emerging friendship between Smick and Chick. With simple, spare text and digital art enhanced with photos of sticks and flower petals, the story of a big dog becoming friends with a little chick would be a fun one to share with very young children.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a simple text and illustration book. Perfect for beginning readers. Words ending in "ick" throughout the book.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally adorable.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

simple words, fun rhyme and a cute books of friendship between a dog named smick and a stick and a chick!

[Sharon Barrow Wilfong · Rating 5 out of 5]

With minimalist words and simple lines illustrating the dog and chick, this book is a highly effective story that shows less is more.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and sweet.

[Kiran · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book but could easily be read to very small children. Simple sparse text and uncomplicated, imagery with pops of color.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through 34 words and large simple illustrations, the reader gets to enjoy a dog playing fetch and finding a little friend.

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the end!

[Colorado Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a dog and a chick. rhyming. not a lot of words in the whole book. it's about friendship, would be fun for a dog or chicken storytime, and for toddlers, would be fun to act out.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The playful language, animal friendship, and wordplay remind me of A Greyhound A Groundhog.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

My baby loved this simple book.

Rhyming and friendship are central themes.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cheerful tale about a dog and a chick. Very minimal text makes this a good choice for beginning readers. Read the unique illustrations to expand the story (thick black digitally-produced lines in combination with photographs of flower petals and sticks!). Use to illustrate rhyming words ending with "ick".

[Paul Graham Terpstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice simple story of a new friendship

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess when you are as successful as this author is, you can get away with anything. This is terrible and, honestly, an insult to the reader. Love her other books, though.

[Timothy Morrison]

go dog go

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

How fun. Eadie thinks Smick and Chick are funny.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute

[Libby Stogdill]

The book Smick by Doreen Cronin is about a puppy named Smick and his funny adventures as he meets his new friend Chick. This is a great book for anyone who loves dogs because you can relate to all of the commands that the author is having Smick do, such as sit, fetch, and no. When Smick meets his new friend, Chick, it is really important for him to be cautious of Chick because she is so small and fragile. In the end, Smick and Chick become best friends who play and snuggle together.

Activity: Smick is a book with very few words, but the words that it does have are great words for work play with the kids. The book uses a lot of rhyming words so it would be a great introduction into a rhyming unit for the kids. During the book, I would ask the students if they could think of any other words that rhyme with the words in the book such as Smick, chick, stick, lick, and sidekick. We would then do an activity that is called the Rhyming Bridge, which is a song adaptation from the original song London Bridge that I created in one of my classes at the University of Nebraska in Omaha to help them practice their rhyming in a fun way.

Cronin, D. (2015). Smick! New York, New York: Penguin Group.