Never Trust a Police Dog: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Reading List
Written By Rebecca Grabill
Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann. 1995.

One of my children’s favorite books, though a little long for a bedtime read-aloud. It’s the story of Officer Buckle and his police dog, Gloria, who is (unbeknownst to Buckle) full of hysterical antics. Rathmann uses repetition of words and phrases, develops a strong plot, and gives childlike qualities to an adult character. The illustrations provide dramatic irony moving well beyond the text. Deserving of the Caldecott!

Am I the only one who thinks this could make a great kid's movie? Am I?

You may also like...
Cinderella or Cinderella or Cinderella - All the Same
Cinderella or Cinderella or Cinderella - All the Same

If a culturally rich adaptation of a classic tale is going to be on a required reading list for any MFAC program, I think it should be Yeh Shen.

ChuggaChugga ChooChoo!: Freight Train, the book
ChuggaChugga ChooChoo!: Freight Train, the book

Conceptual, informative, this little book teaches object permanence (through the tunnel cut away) and prepositions like through and by, and it uses real...

You Mean Women Won Rights? News to Me.
You Mean Women Won Rights? News to Me.

Now here is a compelling and well-told story! Kamma never loses her narrative thread, she includes quotes and details, and she keeps the details to those that ground the story or move it forward. She, in short, finds a plot and...

Another Reason My Yard is Full of Holes: How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World
Another Reason My Yard is Full of Holes: How to Dig a Hole to the Other Side of the World

Second person, a how-to booklet on digging to the center of the earth and beyond. Fact meets fun. The fantasy element combined with scientific detail make this a favorite and true classic. But hey, my copy didn't come with a CD!

That aside...

On a Tightrope: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
On a Tightrope: The Man Who Walked Between the Towers

I love Mordicai Gerstein. I have since I got his book on Noah for my children. His art, his prose, his creativity—delicious. This story...

Jesus and Baseball: Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
Jesus and Baseball: Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki

Triumphant!

Easy to read text that can be read independently by most first/second graders and Mochizuki's is an important voice in a history that has seldom been captured. Both elements combine for an important book.

I wish I lived on Neighborhood Street! Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield
I wish I lived on Neighborhood Street! Night on Neighborhood Street by Eloise Greenfield

The illustrations feel sort of 1970s (which is odd given the pub date); makes it seem dated. The poems, however, give snapshots into life, like...

I love Snuggly picture books! Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells
I love Snuggly picture books! Max’s Dragon Shirt by Rosemary Wells

I had a horrid time finding any Wells book I hadn’t already read 100+ times. Fish LOVED Yoko and the various Max and Ruby books. I’d have to say Yoko is probably...

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe

Any MFA in Children's Writing must have this book on it's required reading list -- such an important tale. Uniquely South African and full of stunning, authentic illustrations. This morality story...

Beautiful Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Beautiful Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Martin brings Bentley’s love and obsession to the child on a mitten-full of snow. Imagine a book about photographing snowflakes making the reader cry. But Martin does it, gently and in a voice I’ve had the privilege to...

Rebecca Grabill

Rebecca has been writing since childhood, her first book about a kitten published between homemade cardboard covers in second grade. Although she studied religion and philosophy in university, she continued writing, earning an MFA from Hamline University and publishing multiple picture books (no longer with homemade covers) and a collection of poetry with a variety of New York and independent publishers. She has also published a wide array of fiction, essays, and poetry in magazines and journals and photographs for Getty Images. She balances writing with homeschooling the younger of her six children, launching her young adults, church activities, and overseeing a small flock of chickens in rural West Michigan.

www.rebeccagrabill.com
Previous

Purple Plastic Purses and Other Uses of Alliteration
Next

Another Take on Princesses: Princess Academy by Shannon Hale