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Desperate to come home, Ike shows great enthusiasm for stretching the truth about his treatment at Brotweiler Canine Academy. Illustrator and author Mark Teague has developed a hilariously disdainful and dignified voice for the not-very-put-upon Ike, but Teague's most cunning innovation is the book's format: He splits each spread between what's really happening, done in color, and what Ike's imagining and exaggerating to Mrs. LaRue, in big thought bubbles using dramatic black and white. As Ike delivers his first letter, in his thought bubble we see Ike carted away in the Brotweiler Canine Academy paddy wagon ("We Aim to Tame"!), up a windy road to a scary-looking quasi-Transylvanian compound, complete with lightning and bats; in full-color reality, Brotweiler looks much more like the UCLA campus in spring bloom, with a sign pointing to the sauna (on the right) and the pool (on the left).
Ike's first carefully typed letter pleads, "How could you do this to me? This is a PRISON, not a school! You should see the other dogs. They are BAD DOGS, Mrs. LaRue! I do not fit in." Subsequent letters describe the staff ("The GUARDS here are all caught up in this 'good dog, bad dog' thing"), the "crimes" that landed him there ("I'd like to clear up some misconceptions about the Hibbins' cats. First, they are hardly the little angels Mrs. Hibbins makes them out to be. Second, how should I know what they were doing out on the fire escape in the middle of January? They were being a bit melodramatic, don't you think?"), and his eventual plans for escape ("I'm sorry it has come to this, since I am really a very good dog, but frankly you left me no choice"). Teague drew inspiration from a couple of sneaky dogs in his own life; kids and grownups reading Ike's tall tales might be reminded of loyal and misunderstood pooches of their own. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Snoopy's successor,
By
This review is from: Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters From Obedience School (Hardcover)
Not since Snoopy himself penned those famous words, "It was a dark and stormy night", has a canine been so eloquent on paper. Having been sent to obedience school for what he deems minor infractions, Ike LaRue finds himself writing pitiful letters to his owner afar. Kids reading this book will have to distinguish between the overdramatic things Ike says and the colorful pictures that display how life really is. As they read the book, children will see that while Ike may state some over-exaggerations, he truly does feel affection for his owner, Mrs. LaRue.Author Mark Teague is hardly unknown to the world of children's illustrations. The ever-popular "How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?" featured his own unique illustrating methods. But he is just as able an author. "Dear Mrs. LaRue", is an adept melding of text and artistry. In each scene the viewer sees the truth in color, and Ike's fabulous imaginations in bleak black and white. Interestingly enough, it is difficult to say exactly how much Ike says is fanciful. For example, Ike's insistence that he has saved his owner numerable times from speeding vehicles turns out to be more than true at the end of the story. Also, a final shot of the cats Ike has hounded suggests that they may not be the angelic creatures so believed of their owners. The book is an excellent one for children, containing more than a few visual jokes for adults. Parents can choose whether or not to explain what Ike's diagnosis of "hypochondria" really means or why they laughed when one of the final pictures displayed a jubilant display of people carrying "I like Ike" signs. Mark Teague notes on the book flap that when his own dog wanted attention it would feign a limp, "But if he was distracted by something - a squirrel or an interesting smell - he was likely to forget which paw was supposedly hurt and give himself away". With such an inspiration, this book wasn't necessarily bound to be good. It just happened to work out nicely that way.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I like Ike, and so will most children and their parents,
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters From Obedience School (Hardcover)
When I came across this book, I knew I had to read it. A dog writing letters home from dog obedience school? How can this not be an enjoyable book? Poor, misunderstood Ike has been sent off to the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy by his harried owner Mrs. Gertrude R. LaRue. Ike does what any dog would do in such a situation; he tries to make his owner feel so guilty about putting him there that she will come and get him. He does have a point of sorts, as the straw that broke the camel's (or, in this case, Mrs. LaRue's) back has two very different sides to it. As the days pass, Ike becomes defensive, then he changes tactics in an effort to show his owner how much she needs him back. Will poor Ike ever see his home again? Will he never again be able to munch on another one of Mrs. LaRue's apple pies? Perish the thought.This book is aimed at children four to eight years old, although parents and weird adults like me should also get a kick out of it. The letters are funny, and one could - if one were so inclined - make an object lesson out of comparing Ike's situation with that of a misbehaving child, but the big sell here is really the pictures. Each page is graced with vivid illustrations contrasting the reality of Ike's life at the Academy with the melodramatic visions of oppression and misery he tries to convey in his letters to Mrs. LaRue. If you are looking for that special book to convince your young child that reading is fun, Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School may well be that book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Little Details,
By
This review is from: Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters From Obedience School (Hardcover)
This is a really fun book. Children will delight in the contrasting artwork. Adults will appreciate the little details of each illustration. The sarcastic comments of the dog will be humorous to all who read this story. I bought the book for my 5 year-old nephew. While awaiting his birthday, I read it three times.
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