Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters from Obedience School: Letters from Obedience School

Brief Description: When Ike Larue is "imprisoned" at the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy, he tries everything to get sent home--weepy letters to his owner, even illness. In reality, Brotweiler is more like camp than prison, but still, Ike's not cut out for life w/o Mrs. Larue & his creature comforts. Finally, he runs away only to find himself back in Snort City--just in time to save Mrs. Larue's life. Teague is at the top of his fetching form in this madcap comedy where the real world of Brotweiler & the one Ike imagines are brilliantly depicted thru split-screen visuals, the former in color & the latter in b&w. Review Quotes: A dog's life is hardly to be envied if one believes the words of Ike, a rambunctious pooch sentenced to obedience school by his exasperated owner, Mrs. LaRue. Having repeatedly terrorized the neighbors' cats and snatched one snack too many from the kitchen counter, Ike finds himself enrolled at Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy. The hero begins a clever letter-writing campaign to Mrs. LaRue that paints a grim (and hopefully guilt-inducing) picture of his Brotweiler experience. But readers are privy to the hilarious truth. Teague (How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?) depicts the pampered pup at the spa-like academy in brightly colored vignettes, juxtaposed with black-and-white prison-like scenes that illustrate Ike's imagined hardship. He composes his correspondence with dramatic flair, whether describing his "inmate" experience ("The guards here are all caught up in this good dog, bad dog' thing") or reflecting on his misdeeds back at home ("Were the neighbors really complaining about my howling?... Let's recall that these are the same neighbors who are constantly waking me up in the middle of the afternoon with their loud vacuuming"). Throughout, the devilish laughs are in the details (waiters in white coats serving academy dogs gourmet meals and frozen drinks; Ike's images of a hard life in striped prison garb plus ball-and-chain). Even the duo's reunion (to much fanfare) plays off of an earlier joke. All in all, a tail-wagger of a book that will have readers howling with amusement.--Publishers Weekly, July 22, 2002 starred reviewAn epistolary picture book detailing the misadventures of a very imaginative dog at obedience school. Ike the terrier is a reluctant student at the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy, and sends daily letters home describing the tortures he's undergoing at school: "Needless to say, I am being horribly mistreated. You say I should be patient and accept that I'll be here through the term. Are you aware that the term lasts TWO MONTHS? Do you know hoBiographical Note: Mark Teague is an award-winning children's book author and illustrator whose books include the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling How Do Dinosaurs... series, the LaRue series, FIREHOUSE!, FUNNY FARM, and many other humorous picture books. Mark lives in New York state with his wife and their two daughters. Marc Notes: Gertrude LaRue receives typewritten and paw-written letters from her dog Ike, entreating her to let him leave the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy and come back home. Publisher Marketing: A beguiling dog laments his fate at obedience school through a series of hilarious letters home--by the best-selling illustrator of HOW DO DINOSAURS SAY GOOD NIGHT? When Ike Larue is "imprisoned" at the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy, he tries everything to get sent home--weepy letters to his owner, even illness. In reality, Brotweiler is more like camp than prison, but still, Ike's not cut out for life w/o Mrs. Larue & his creature comforts. Finally, he runs away only to find himself back in Snort City--just in time to save Mrs. Larue's life. Teague is at the top of his fetching form in this madcap comedy where the real world of Brotweiler & the one Ike imagines are brilliantly depicted thru split-screen visuals, the former in color & the latter in b&w. Review Citations:

Booklist 04/01/2003 pg. 1401 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Booklist Ed Choice Youth 01/01/2003 pg. 799 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Kirkus Review - Children 08/01/2002 pg. 1145 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

New York Times 12/22/2002 pg. 19 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

School Library Journal 09/01/2002 pg. 207 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2003 pg. 95 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2006 pg. 1022 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Wilson Children's Catalog 01/01/2010 pg. 1555 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Bookpage 09/01/2002 pg. 24 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Booksense '76 Childrens Wtr 02 11/01/2002 pg. 1 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Best of Book Sense/First 5 Yrs 04/01/2004 pg. 1 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Booklist 11/01/2002 pg. 494 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Publishers Weekly 07/22/2002 pg. 177 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2002 pg. 56 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2003 pg. 56 (EAN 9780439206631, Hardcover)

Booklist 05/15/2005 pg. 1668 (EAN 9780439661287, Paperback)

Contributor Bio:  Teague, Mark Teague is the popular author and illustrator of Pigsty, which was an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists. He also has been named spokesperson for Crayola's national art contest. He lives in NY with his wife, Laura and daughter, Lily.