Emerson Barks

by Liza Woodruff

Arf! Arf! Arf!

Bird, squirrels, the mailman--Emerson can't help but bark his loudest when he gets excited. But when his bark scares one of his neighborhood friends into hiding, Emerson's girl Eva must forbid him from barking altogether. Can Emerson adjust to a life in silence? Or will he find a way to put his powerful bark to good use?

A charming dog story that shows how good intentions can triumph over mistakes.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 16, 2016

About the author

I grew up in Bristol, Rhode Island. As the youngest of three in my family, I was content watching, listening, daydreaming, and drawing. My love of art took a long and meandering path on the way to children's publishing. I scooped ice cream, worked as a camp counselor, waited tables at a dude ranch, and operated a chairlift at a ski resort. At one point I even hoped to become a veterinarian! But none of these things gave me the satisfaction I longed for.

Already having earned a BA in art and French, I finished a second degree in illustration at the Art Institute of Boston (now Lesley University College of Art and Design). During that time, I began an internship at children's book review magazine The Horn Book which focused my broad interest in art onto the wonderful illustration of children's books. Upon graduation, I dove into publishing. To date, I have illustrated twenty-four books for children!
​
It had long been a dream of mine to write my own stories. After many years as an illustrator, I tried my hand at writing. I have now authored three picture books: EMERSON BARKS/Christy Ottaviano Books/Holt 2016, A QUIETER STORY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House in 2019, and ONCE UPON A WINTER DAY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House in 2020 which was selected as one of Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of 2020. 2024 will see the publication of my fourth picture book, PHIL'S BIG DAY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House.

My home is in Vermont, nestled between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Nature is a big part of my life and when not working in my studio, I can be found on the lake, on the side of a mountain, or deep in the woods with my family and/or two dogs.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another delightful story by Liza Woodruff! The illustrations are perfection, as Emerson tries to hold his bark in.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fun - if predictable - story about a dog whose troublesome barking ends up saving the day. The illustrations are charming and expressive (poor Emerson's guilty faces when he's forbidden from barking are heartwrenchingly adorable), and there's a lot of creativity with the word placement as well. I especially enjoy the pictures where Emerson's enormous "BARK" speech bubble takes up almost the entire page, and the one where his trail of "barks" "arfs" and "yip yips" spirals around in circles. I could tell where the story was going from the opening line, but it's still a fun ride, especially the hilarious final page! This might be a fun one to read with an older, focused storytime crowd and have them bark along with Emerson. :)

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emerson the dog's barks are annoying the neighbors but what happens when the neighbor's cat goes missing? Who will find Kitty? And will Emerson ever bark again? Cute. Toddler and up.

[Clare Rossetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful tale of a dog who barks too much. All seems good until he scares away the neighbor's cat. Emerson stops barking but it is difficult. He can not be happy until he finds the cat After some very serious searching he locates the cat but then he has another problem. No barking means he can't get anyone's attention. What is Emerson to do. He takes a chance and solves his problem and the world of Emerson returns to normal, well kind of. The illustrations are charming and really add to the story. Add to this the creative placing of the text when Emerson barks make this a wonderful and funny picture book to share with children and for them to read more then once.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book. Emereson barks at everything and chases the cat away. The neighbor is mad and his owner tells him not to bark anymore. He tries, but it builds up inside. He finally lets lose with a bark and ends up finding the lost cat and her kittens. Everyone is happy again, mostly.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it! Will definitely use for a dog themed storytime. Such a sweet story and I like the art.

[Liz Garden · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this cute read aloud at our house! Mainly because the main character, a little dog with a big bark, has the same name as my daughter!

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit about being true to yourself. But also I feel like Emerson should control his barking quantity or volume to some extent?

At the end, others were glad of Emerson's loud bark.

[Angelika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pictures, good story, funny ending, good length for storytime

[Annie MacPherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Cathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any decent story about dogs gets 5 stars here. Monkey 1 had a cheat day and read this today - reading is reading.

[MyTwoTeeGirls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, albeit predictable. The illustrations were top notch and cute and clever and kept us enjoying each page. I also have an Emerson, so it was extra fun.

[Serina · Rating 1 out of 5]

A barking dog struggles to contain himself.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emerson loved to bark. But one day he barked and scared Mrs. Cross's cat, Kissy, away. Mrs. Cross was cross and Emerson's girl, Eva, told him he was going to have to stop barking. Emerson wanted to bark. He felt the urge to bark. But he didn't bark. His stomach hurt and his throat felt tight. Finally, when he couldn't get anyone's attention any other way, Emerson barked. And barked. And barked. Until everyone came running to find Kissy hiding in the bushes. Emerson had found Kissy... and her litter of kittens.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eva dearly loves her dog, Emerson. But his barking gets out of hand, and causes Kissy, her neighbor's cat to run away. Eva scolds him, and he tries very hard to hold in all those barks. His quietness lasts for about one day, and then he simply cannot help himself and barks once his nose leads him to the missing cat. Everyone celebrates his heroism and cleverness. But Kissy is not alone and has a few surprises for Miss Cross, her owner. The last page includes quite a bit of meowing rather than barking. I liked how some of the book's pages are designed with all that barking going around in circles, driving its hearers mad, and I found the illustrations, created with pen and ink and digital pen, paint, and pastel using Adobe Photoshop, visually appealing, largely because of the expressions on the faces of the characters, human and animal. Yes, Emerson barks--and it's a good thing he does! Young readers are sure to be amused by this sweet story and how hard Emerson fights his natural inclination to let out a bark or two.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerson is a barker. He gets into big trouble when he scares Miss Cross' cat away. He tries not to bark but his barks just keep wanting to come out. In the end he saves the day by, you guessed it, barking! This is a lovely story about being yourself and being appreciated for who you are. Readers will fall in love with this joyous little dog. For ages 3 - 8.

[Nanci Booher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerson barks...a lot....when he chases away Kissy, the cat, everyone is upset. He is instructed to not bark but when he just can't stand it anymore, he barks. What does this bark mean? Has he found Kissy?

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emerson the dog likes to bark..like all dogs do. His bark scares the neighbor's cat which upsets the neighbor. So, Emerson quiets his bark. This story tells the tale of what happens when your worst trait..the one that annoys others becomes your best trait...the one that helps others.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grades Pre-K to 2. Emerson is a little dog with a big bark. The neighbor, Miss Cross, isn't too keen on him, especially after he scares her cat away. Emerson stops barking, but the cat is still missing. And then he spots the cat in the bush! How can he get everyone's attention?

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emerson is a wonderful little dog with a very big bark which gets him into trouble. He tries not to bark but eventually – it’s just too hard. In the end, his barking saves the day! A dogs gotta do what a dogs gotta do!

[Awjtf · Rating 5 out of 5]

very cute book!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute! I like the illustrations and I like that the author's name is Wood-RUFF!

[wildct2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story and pictures.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute dog book. Better for one on one sharing to see the small illustrations. Enjoyable stuff though.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely adorable and pictures are fantastic

[Sarah Rosedahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the story and the illustration!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet and funny. You have to be true to yourself.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little dog with a big bark helps find a neighbor's runaway cat.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emerson finds his niche, like Excellent Ed! Gotta love happy dogs.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holding in your barks because they're too loud leads to frustration and tummy aches -- and sometimes a loud bark is just what the situation warrants.