Don’t Call Me Choochie Pooh!

Shamed by his mistress’s sugary nicknames, a humiliated pooch describes his belittling treatment while sharp, lined drawings show his over-decorated basket and perfumed visits to the pet parlour. Afraid that the other dogs will laugh at him (particularly Chief, who used to be a police dog) our hero is pleasantly surprised when he is invited to join in their games. The irony is of course every dog, including the butch Chief get called the same kind of sick making names, by their owners so the only thing the dogs can do is to shrug, ‘What can you do?’

Easy-on-the-ear writing and amusing situations all show a doggy’s point of view with clear understanding and clever humour while wittily  stylized illustrations show plenty of girlie patterns in pretty colours contrasted with earthy coloured splashes in the doggy scenes of mayhem. For any child who’s ever been embarrassed by an infantilizing, over demonstrative parent, this is the book.