Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Down Girl and Sit: Smarter Than Squirrels
Illustrator: Mike Reed
Fiction Series
For ages 6 to 8
Marshall Cavendish Children's Books, 2004 ISBN: 978-0761451846
Down Girl and Sit are a pair of dogs who are best friends and next door neighbors. Together, in their respective yards, they work hard to “keep the world safe.” After all, there are all kinds of things out there that are dangerous, things like birds and squirrels. Luckily, Down Girl and Sit know how to deal with such dangers. They have figured out that the best thing to go to save the world from thieving and munching birds and squirrels is to chase them up trees. See how clever they are?
The other thing they know is that one should never ever go near the back fence because something very dangerous lives over there. In fact, it is something that is “too horrible to talk about.”
Once day Down Girl and Sit find out that something truly terrible has moved into the neighborhood. It is big and ugly and it is called Here Kitty Kitty. Just like those dreadful birds and squirrels, Here Kitty Kitty is bad news. When they see Here Kitty Kitty sneaking around, Down Girl and Sit do what they always do, they chase the interloper into a tree. This is very satisfying of course, but then Here Kitty Kitty walks along the back fence, and he finds out why Down Girl and Sit refuse to go anywhere near that part of their yards.
Told from Down Girl’s point of view, this wonderfully funny chapter book will give readers a very singular picture of what it might be like to be a dog. Children will laugh out loud when they find out that Down Girl sincerely thinks that she understands her person, and that she is the one who is in control of the situation.
With four stories to enjoy and a wonderful main character, this is a perfect book for young readers who are eager to read books with real chapters in them. This is the first book in what promises to be much-loved new series.
