C'mere, Boy!

by Sharon Jennings, Ashley Spires (Illustrator)

Dog wants his very own boy. Though Mama warns him that a boy takes a lot of work, Dog is determined to find the perfect boy for him. Dog's search takes him from the pooch spa to the mall to the park, but none of the boys smell quite right. Finally, in an unexpected place, a promising-looking boy appears. Will Dog be able to train him?

C'mere, Boy! is a funny and fetching twist on the traditional ?boy wants dog? story.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Dogs

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[Mario Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was outrageously too funny! I never quite thought about it in this way, but to a sense it is true: we as humans can be considered to be owned by our dogs, as it is we who have to clean up after them, feed them, and provide for them most of all. I truly enjoyed learning about the dog's perspective in this case, and I thought that it was hilarious to see the dog call the boy over to him, when the boy had called over to him first. The illustrations seemed modern-like, and some characters were colored in light gray and white colors, while the dog in the story was the only one that remained colorful.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute story about a dog wanting his own boy, so he shops for one in the same way a boy shops for his own dog.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about a dog who wants a boy.

Neat to see the usual storyline turned around.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text to Teaching
This is a cute book about a dog wanting a boy for a pet. This story is different because it's initially told from the perspective of the dog, rather than from the perspective of a human to a dog. Later in the story, it includes the perspective from a little boy. The author uses a lot of temporal words like first, next and then to represent sequential order of events. I think it would be fun to read this story to children and as a response activity, have them write the order of events making sure they are using conventional English.

[Ally Copper · Rating 4 out of 5]

"C'Mere Boy" by Sharon Jennings tells the familiar tale of a boy finding the perfect pet, but in this telling the perspective shifts so we see the story from the dog's point of view rather than the boy's. And in this story, the dog is not a passive character waiting at a pet store or pound for a boy to find him. No, here the dog actively searches for his ideal boy. The search culminates when the perfect boy enters the picture and says, "C'mere, boy" to Dog. In turn, Dog says, "No, you c'mere, Boy." This would be a great story to use to highlight the concept of point of view to readers. It also could be used to discuss the concepts of active and passive characters. The ink and watercolor illustrations by Ashley Spires use muted colors and depict fun scenes that incorporate both human and canine characters. All in all, this picture book offers an engaging story that includes an interesting twist that readers will enjoy.

[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully funny twist on the classic tale of boy and dog. Dog spends a week convincing his mother that he needs a boy...buying a leash, so he will be ready, putting "boy food" on the family shopping list, all to no avail. Mom still says, "no boy." Dog sets off to find just the right boy, with laugh-out-loud results. I worried that there was too much text to keep my young story time audience's attention, but they loved it, probably because there is so much humor in the text and soft pictures.

[Sarah W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dog begs his mama to let him have a boy as a pet. Mama cautions him that boys are hard to train. When Dog heads out to search for a boy to buy, nothing goes as planned. He's chased, kicked out, and runs into a dog catcher. This is an adorable twist on finding a pet. It could be used as an exercise in perspective taking.

This sepia and color book has art "rendered in ink, watercolor, digital collage and sheer determination." I rather love the font, which is identified as Big Ruckus AOE.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This clever tale of a dog who desperately wants to get a pet boy integrates several useful concepts for a balanced literacy program. Suggestions for lessons include: days of the week/time, character perspective, letter writing, and inferring. The light humour can be appreciated by adults and children of all ages.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dog really wants a boy-- he wants to take the boy for walks, teach him tricks, etc. He searches everywhere and can't find a boy-- until he gets caught by the dog-catcher and is visited by the perfect boy! Preschool-Kindergarten.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun variation on the boy who wants a dog. Good for dog or pet storytime.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when a dog wants a pet boy? This book will tell you all about it.

[Angie crosby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this book was cute. I liked that the story was from Dogs point of view.

Troy didn't seem to like it as much. I think it was because the pictures weren't bright.

[Huda Fel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doggy decided to get a boy for himself! He knew he had to find one

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 5-year-old loved that this story is about a dog who wants a boy. He laughed when he thought of a dog walking a boy on a leash and taking him to a class to learn how to do tricks.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reversal boy wants boy pet yet turns out how?

[BeastBoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My son thought this book was very strange.

[Karen Upper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! Loved the reverse role/perspective of Dog being the primary voice! Provoked a lot of questions and fun!

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story of a puppy who wants a boy. The typical conversations between mother and son about caring for and the cost of a pet ensue.

Likable illustrations.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute concept, but I did not enjoy the execution. Plus, I am not a dog person so it did not have that appeal for me.