Review: `I'm a stubborn hound dog...I'm gonna do exactly as I wish'
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 19, 2013
Big Red Balloon is a fun moniker for the author of this new children's book and simply his name sets the tone for this well considered story, excellent illustrations, and lessons in learning about pets...and others.Tommy is a boy who yearns for a dog, but living in a house without a yard precludes that and Tommy stubbornly won't settle for another pet like a bird or a fish. Tommy's family moves to a new home with a yard and Tommy goes to the pound with his mom and selects a bloodhound named Elvis. Eager to play with Elvis, Tommy attempts to teach Elvis some tricks - fetching a ball, shake Tommy's hand, catch a Frisbee, play dead, jump through a hoop - but to the chagrin of Tommy and the teasing by his friends, Elvis sticks to his response:`I'm a stubborn hound dog, let me beYour tricks and your treats won't change me.Save it for the bird, save it for the fish.Cause I'm gonna do exactly what I wish.'When Tommy's friend' and siblings tease him about his not very smart dog, Thomas gives Elvis a hug for reassurance that Elvis is the best dog in the world and he loves him. And PRESTO! - all Elis wanted was to be loved and squeezed and he becomes the star performer of the neighborhood.Little but important lessons are here about being stubborn (both as a kid and as a dog) and the overriding importance of showing and being loved. Big Red Balloon has it down pat. He also offers a free video version of the book for children's `reading' when folks aren't around. This is a solid little package from an always welcome  face on the children's books scene. Grady Harp, August 13