Rodeo Pup

Ted McGee is an associate professor of English specializing in
children’s literature at St. Jerome’s College, University of
Waterloo.

Rodeo Pup provides glimpses into the life of its eponymous hero, an
energetic dalmatian and the pet of the young girl who narrates the
piece. The story falls into two parts, the first dealing with the
trouble Rodeo Pup causes when he unravels the narrator’s fishnet
tights en route to school on picture day. The second tells the story of
the dog’s claim to fame: playing with string he flossed his own teeth,
to the amazement of all who saw his picture in the paper. Because there
is no logical through-line between the actions of these two parts, the
book’s aim, it seems, is to introduce a character. The story concludes
with the announcement of Rodeo Pup’s Web site and the promise that
“if you send an e-mail, he’ll write back. He is really one smart
dog!”

There is consistency between the simplicity of the prose style and the
primitivism of the illustrations. Depicted with minimal depth of field
and against abstract backdrops, the figure of Rodeo Pup—with one
inside ear and one outside, with one red eye and (usually) one black
eye, with prominent anus (central to the page entitled “The
End”)—dominates the pictures. Informal advice to dog owners is noted
atop each picture and verbal details in some pictures add comic touches.
These additions and occasional glimpses of character do not make up for
the lack of a strong plot. Recommended with reservations.