Ivan the Terrier Book

Ivan the Terrier by Peter Catalanotto follows Ivan as he enters and interupts one classic fairy tale after another during storytime.

Catalanotto's illustrations are renderred in watercolor and gouache. Touches such as a cat who see Ivan coming, and a disgruntled wolf, add to the humor. My favorite images are scared goats, spilled porridge, dropped bricks, kicked can, frightened couple, and drop it.

I enjoyed the title pun evoking the reputation of Ivan the Terrible to this overly energetic Jack Russell Terrier. I loved the precise nine arf's one each page! This reminds me of David Wiesner's The Three Pigs and of the classic interruptions in The Stinky cheese Man. Audience participation in the arfs should make this a storytime hit. This may work best with children who are familiar with the fairy or folk tales in the story. Recommended for school and public library collections. 4.5 stars.

For ages 4 to 8, dogs, humor, fairy tales, folk tales, interruptions, and fans of Peter Catalanotto.