Bogart and Vinnie

Reviews

The heart wants what the hearts wants. Case in point: Vinnie, a "crazy-happy" dog (and seldom has a description been more apt) who wanders into a nature preserve for exotic animals and decides that his new best friend is Bogart, a hulking, solitude-loving rhino. "Nobody knew what attracted Vinnie to Bogart," Vernick (Brothers at Bat) muses. "Was it his color? His shape? His horn? His other horn? The way he completely ignored Vinnie?" Athough Bogart looks like he'd rather be anywhere than at Vinnie's side, this unlikely combo of perpetually panting irrepressibleness and weltschmerz—a yin and yang of expressiveness that Cole (Nelly May Has Her Say) illustrates with panache—becomes a global sensation and forms "the kind of family where one member loves the other and one wants nothing more than to be left alone. But still, a family." It's a witty, bighearted story that makes full use of this duo's comic talents while poking gentle fun at the human tendency to coo over interspecies friendships (and then turn them into children's books). Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (June) —Publishers Weekly

Vinnie, a friendly but hyperactive mutt, is lost. While following Hap, a Wildlands Preserve worker, the dog bolts into the park when he spies the gate to the preserve. Vinnie is excited about the many new friends he can make: giraffes, zebras, leopards, parrots. Each creature is his best friend until he meets the next one. Way in the back, all alone in the peace and quiet of the rhino range, is Bogart, and Vinnie is quite taken with him. "I love you! I'm Vinnie! Hi!" he says, tail wagging and tongue lagging. Hap knows that Vinnie could be in danger, but he cannot lure the pup from Bogart's side. As a matter of fact, Vinnie discovers that it's great fun to play follow the leader, and he tails Bogart everywhere. Meanwhile, Vinnie's boy, Ethan, is looking high and low for his pet. Then Vinnie and Bogart are featured on the news. Before long, boy and dog are reunited, but nobody wants to split up Vinnie's new family of animal friends. They all move to Ethan's house, where they live together "in peace and harmony....Except the neighbors." The cartoon illustrations are done in acrylics, colored pencil, and ink. Vinnie is goofy-looking and appealing, but this is a rather slight story that will be more suitable as a supplemental purchase.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library —School Library Journal

Here's a clever spoof of informational picture books that celebrate unusual animal friendships. Vinnie the dog, whose tail and tongue never seem to rest, is enchanted by Bogart, a placid rhino, when Vinnie is lost at the zoo. Vinnie's word-bubble conversations are energetic, short, and to the point: "I want to roll in this smell with you." World-weary (and weary of Vinnie), Bogart says nothing. Cole's lively ink-and-watercolor illustrations are lots of fun, but with plenty of undercurrents. Sophisticated readers watching Bogart's expressive eyes will understand the meaning of this 'true' friendship before they are told that Bogart would really just like to be left alone. The relationships of the other animals in the story, including dancing zebras and singing parrots, add a fine, silly edge. The improbable conclusion pulled off by Vinnie's worried family fits the story perfectly and will please its young audience. —Booklist