SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Memoirs of a Dog
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.devinscillian.com/
CITY: Detroit
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 392
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born January 11, 1963, in Fort Riley, KS; son of Bill and Betti Scillian; married; wife’s name Corey; children: Griffin, Quinn, Madison, Christian.
EDUCATION:University of Kansas, B.A. (journalism), 1985.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Television journalist, singer-songwriter, and children’s book author. Reporter for WIBW, Topeka, KS, WAND-TV, Decatur, IL, KLTV-TV, Tyler, TX, and KFOR-TV, Oklahoma City, OK; WDIV-TV, Detroit, MI, reporter, 1995, news anchor, 1996—, host of weekly news program Flashpoint. Contributor to The Ellen Show; actor in films including Mooz-Lum, 2010, The Double, 2011, and Scream 4, 2011; member of the band Arizona Son.
AVOCATIONS:Playing guitar and piano, basketball, tennis, golf, drawing and painting.
AWARDS:Detroit Music Award for best country performer; Peabody Award, for KFOR-TV news coverage of the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City, OK; twelve Emmy awards, including for Best Anchor, Best Writing, and Best Documentary; named Best Country Performer, Detroit Music Awards, 2001; Edward R. Murrow Awards, including for documentary “The China Syndrome: Where Did All the Jobs Go?”; Merit Award, Midwest Independent Publishers Association, 2003, for P Is for Passport; Oklahoma Book Award finalist, 2003, for S Is for Sooner; National Parenting Publications (NAPPA) Gold Award, 2007, and Oklahoma Book Award finalist, 2008, both for Brewster the Rooster; Best Children’s Books of the Year listee, Bank Street College of Education, 2007, Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People selection, National Council for the Social Studies/Children’s Book Council (CBC), and Oklahoma Book Award, both 2008, and Oklahoma Center for the Book’s State Selection for the National Book Festival, all for Pappy’s Handkerchief; Edward R. Murrow Award, 2009, for news documentary “Fuel’s Gold: From Detroit to Shanghai”; NAPPA honor award, 2010, and Mom’s Choice Gold Award, Wanda Gag Read Aloud Book Award, and Children’s Choices listee, International Reading Association/CBC, all 2011, all for Memoirs of a Goldfish; Edward R. Murrow Award, 2012; Gwen Frostic Award, Michigan Reading Association, 2017; numerous honors from state reading associations.
WRITINGS
Lyricist for album Argentina, 1994.
SIDELIGHTS
A television journalist who serves as the anchor of a nightly news show, the Detroit-based Devin Scillian also composes and performs country songs and writes popular children’s books. “I … have come to understand that you find time for things that are passions,” Scillian noted about his multifaceted career in an interview on the International Reading Association website, “whether it’s golf, travel, art or writing. And I know it sounds like I’m all over the place with journalism and music and books—but when you think about it, they all boil down to storytelling. And telling a story is just something that I love to do.”
Born in Fort Riley, Kansas, Scillian met his future wife, Corey, while attending high school in nearby Junction City. He graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Kansas in 1985. Scillian began his broadcasting career in Topeka and worked in Illinois, Texas, and Oklahoma before settling in Detroit, Michigan. He has also traveled the globe covering stories such as the U.S. invasion of Haiti, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, and the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He won an Emmy award for his coverage of the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City as well as an Edward R. Murrow Award for an acclaimed documentary. An accomplished singer and songwriter, Scillian has also earned a Detroit Music Award for best country performer.
Scillian’s debut title, Fibblestax, appeared in 2000, and more recent works include a series of alphabet books for Sleeping Bear Press. In the first, A Is for America: An American Alphabet, Scillian uses a verse text to offer a glimpse into the history of the United States, examining people and places such as civil rights activist Rosa Parks and the town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the site of the Wright Brothers’ successful flight. In P Is for Passport: A World Alphabet he looks at the experiences and traditions of people from different nations. “The language is clear, often introducing foreign words associated with topic and culture,” noted Margaret R. Tassia in appraising P Is for Passport in School Library Journal.
A confused farm animal is the focus of Brewster the Rooster, a picture book by Scillian and illustrated by Lee White. Brewster’s owners grow concerned after he begins crowing at inappropriate times, such as when young Topper Macintosh is playing baseball or Grandma Pearl flips a pancake. When Doc Sawyer cannot determine the cause of Brewster’s malady, he recommends taping shut his beak until little Julie discovers the real cause of the bird’s outbursts. Reviewing the work in School Library Journal, Mary Elam called Brewster the Rooster “an original tale that’s a visual delight,” and Booklist contributor Julie Cummins predicted that young readers will “find Brewster is a ‘fowlishly’ funny rooster.”
Rural animals again appear in Scillian’s 2019 picture book, Back Roads, Country Toads. This volume features illustrations by Tim Bowers. It tells of a misunderstanding that leads Hank and Buckeroo, the titular country toads, on an unexpected journey. The toads eavesdrop on the conversation of a group of humans heading off on a fly-fishing trip. Hank and Buckeroo imagine that the humans will be fishing for flies, their favorite food. They decide they must join in on this fishing trip, so they sneak into the picnic basket of one of the fishermen. When they get to the destination, they realize that fly-fishing is not what they thought it was. A reviewer in Children’s Bookwatch asserted: “ Back Roads, Country Toads is a knee-slapping funny and original picture story.”
Set in the late nineteenth century, the large-format picture book Pappy’s Handkerchief concerns Moses, an African American boy traveling with his family from Maryland to join the Oklahoma Land Rush. When his father is badly injured and their wagon breaks down, Moses must ride ahead and stake the family’s claim. While noting in an afterword to the book that there were actually five land runs in the Oklahoma Territory, Scillian “presents a composite to highlight the fact that many African Americans seized the chance to start new lives,” as a critic in Kirkus Reviews observed.
Scillian’s award-winning picture book Memoirs of a Goldfish features illustrations by Bowers. The work is narrated by the title character, a contented goldfish who enjoys the simple pleasures of swimming around his bowl. When his home is “invaded” by a host of newcomers, including a snail, an angelfish, and a diver figurine, the goldfish becomes worried that he will never find solitude again. Upon being transferred to a new bowl, however, the finned protagonist discovers that he misses his neighbors.
In Scillian’s companion volume, Memoirs of a Hamster, a tiny rodent decides to explore life outside his cozy cage, only to find unexpected dangers—such as a loud vacuum cleaner—lurking around every corner. School Library Journal critic Sharon Grover applauded the pairing of Scillian’s narrative and Bowers’s artwork in Memoirs of a Hamster, stating that “the text and pictures flow well, allowing readers to absorb the action.”
Scillian and illustrator Bowers continued their series of curious pseudo-autobiographies with Memoirs of a Parrot, which follows an intelligent bird from its time in the pet store, to its rough start with its new owner, to its realization that having a human friend can be a great thing. A Children’s Bookwatch reviewer called this title “original and charmingly entertaining.”
The pair also wrote Memoirs of an Elf, narrated by an elf who “enhances” Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve by bringing along his favorite digital devices. A Publishers Weekly reviewer called the book “a lighthearted diversion with a few modern twists.” A Kirkus Reviews writer lamented that Memoirs of an Elf “tries hard to be humorous and up-to-the-minute, but it is neither new nor particularly funny.” The reviewer concluded, “Lots of cheery text, exclamation marks and trendy electronic devices do not necessarily add up to a successful Christmas story.”
Another seasonal tale by Scillian is Missile Toe: A Very Confused Christmas, which presents a dozen poems considering Christmas carols and traditions through the eyes of a youngster who is not quite sure what things like mistletoe, decking the halls, and sugarplums actually are. A Publishers Weekly writer suggested that “the rhymes tend to be corny, but there are some winners in the bunch,” while a Children’s Bookwatch reviewer called the book “delightful and impressively entertaining from beginning to end.”
Scillian introduces young readers to a legendary hero from his home state in Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale. Just minutes after his birth, Johnny has outgrown his crib, and soon even the borders of his town can no longer contain the youth. The Kaw family now heads west in search of open prairie, settling in Kansas where Johnny creates a valley simply by sitting down. Later, while helping his father clear rocks from a field, the lumbering lad inadvertently creates the Rocky Mountains, and he also tangles with a tornado that threatens to destroy the Kaw’s homestead. Johnny Kaw “is written in rhythmic prose that lends itself to read-alouds as well as independent reading,” Sara-Jo Lupo observed in School Library Journal.
Animals also feature in Memoirs of a Tortoise and A Parliament of Owls. In the former title, Scillian and Bowers again team up, this time focusing on an eighty-year-old tortoise (Oliver) who is mourning the loss of his human, who was elderly and has recently passed away. Searching for answers, Oliver visits his 137-year-old mother, who counsels him that humans simply don’t live very long (compared to giant tortoises) and must be treasured while they’re alive. Oliver proceeds to make friends with his human’s son. Reviewing the volume in School Library Journal, Sally James called it “a touching story about slowing down and appreciating those you love.”
Meanwhile, in the picture book A Parliament of Owls, illustrated by Sam Caldwell, Scillian educates youngsters on the group names for various animals, from the owls of the title to giraffes, porcupines, monkeys, and sharks, among others. Scillian’s text is told in verse, while the illustrations by Caldwell add humor. The book exhibits “as colorful and raucous a collection of animals as ever was,” noted a Kirkus Reviews contributor.
[open new]Scillian sustains his series of animal autobiographies with his next picture book, Memoirs of a Dog. About finally devoting a “Memoirs” title to humans’ proverbial best friend, Scillian told Kathy Temean of Writing and Illustrating: “Like so many people I absolutely love dogs; I often say we don’t deserve them. So I felt a fair amount of responsibility, even pressure, to find a way to include all of magic that dogs bring to our lives. Dogs are companions, entertainers, safety officers, welcome wagons, therapists, babysitters and more. And as I thought about that task, it dawned on me that perhaps that was exactly what the book should be about.” The star of the book is named after the Scillians’ own dog, which his wife, Corey, named after the girlfriend of leading-boy Cory in the TV show Boy Meets World.
Fluffy white Topanga, who narrates, is one busy dog. Getting up bright and early at 6:30, she wakes up everyone in her family: parents Big Guy and Lady and their four children Ponytail, Moptop, Freckles, and Poop-and-Cry. Finding opportunities to lend a paw left and right, she locates Ponytail’s tights, keeps Poop-and-Cry preoccupied while Big Guy does laundry, warns Lady of a kitchen fire, saves Freckles from a mean neighbor dog, and hears about Moptop’s bad day. After defusing a family argument by knocking over some flour, Topanga gets rewarded when the baby’s first word is a name worth barking for. With Topanga exhibiting “a mix of exuberance, self-confidence, and patience—everything readers young and old love about dogs,” a Kirkus Reviews writer hailed Memoirs of a Dog as a “fantastically fun tale” that “perfectly captures a dog’s perspective.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, July 1, 2007, Julie Cummins, review of Brewster the Rooster, p. 63; October 1, 2007, Randall Enos, review of Pappy’s Handkerchief, p. 59.
Children’s Bookwatch, November, 2010, review of D Is for Down Under: An Australia Alphabet; May, 2013, review of Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale; June, 2016, review of Memoirs of a Parrot; December, 2017, review of Missile Toe: A Very Confused Christmas; October, 2019, review of Back Roads, Country Toads.
Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2007, review of Pappy’s Handkerchief; September 1, 2014, review of Memoirs of an Elf; September 1, 2017, review of Memoirs of an Elf; May 1, 2022, review of A Parliament of Owls; October 1, 2024, review of Memoirs of a Dog.
Publishers Weekly, June 11, 2001, review of A Is for America: An American Alphabet, p. 85; September 15, 2014, review of Memoirs of an Elf, p. 68; September 4, 2017, review of Missile Toe, p. 98.
School Library Journal, March, 2004, Margaret R. Tassia, review of P Is for Passport: A World Alphabet, p. 200; August, 2007, Mary Elam, review of Brewster the Rooster, p. 90; January, 2008, Judith Constantinides, review of Pappy’s Handkerchief, p. 97; April, 2013, Sara-Jo Lupo, review of Johnny Kaw, p. 142; July, 2012, Sharon Grover, review of Memoirs of a Hamster, p. 70; May, 2020, Sally James, review of Memoirs of a Tortoise, p. 49.
ONLINE
Devin Scillian website, https://www.devinscillian.com (April 10, 2025).
International Reading Association website, http://www.reading.org/ (April 1, 2013), “Five Questions with … Devin Scillian.”
Sleeping Bear Press website, http://www.sleepingbearpress.com/ (July 1, 2013), “Devin Scillian.”
WDIV-TV website, http://www.clickondetroit.com/ (March 9, 2020), author profile.*
Writing and Illustrating, https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/ (October 24, 2024), Kathy Temean, “Book Giveaway: Memoirs of a Dog by Devin Scillian.”
"I know between journalism, books and music it looks like I'm all over the place. But when you think about it, they all have one thing in common; they're all about telling stories. Whether it's as a reporter, an author or a songwriter, I just love a good story."
Devin is equally at home on your television, on your bookshelf, and on your iTunes. School children, teachers and parents know him as the writer behind the Memoirs series including Memoirs of a Goldfish, winner of the Wanda Gag Award as the nation's best read aloud book. Television viewers in Michigan and Ontario know him as their evening news anchor on WDIV-TV, NBC in Detroit. And music lovers know him as the winner of the prestigious Detroit Music Award for Best Country Performer.
Devin is the author of 20 children’s books. His book A is for America became a national bestseller that even found its way beneath the White House Christmas tree. In 2004, First Lady Laura Bush invited him to read at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. His book, Memoirs of a Goldfish” was chosen as the Michigan Reads book, and has won a slew of children's choice awards including New York, Maryland and New Hampshire. His other books include Fibblestax, Cosmo’s Moon, and H Is For Honor. His newest title is Memoirs of a Tortoise, the latest in his series of Memoirs books. In 2017, he was honored with the Gwen Frostic Award from the Michigan Reading Association for his contributions to literacy in Michigan.
Devin joined WDIV-TV in August, 1995 as a reporter and moved into the anchor position in 1996. He’s been honored for his work both at home and abroad. His assignments have taken him from the Forbidden City in Beijing to St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, from the Red Sea to Moscow, from Jerusalem to Siberia. His well-worn passport has taken him to six Olympiads. Four times he has won the Edward R. Murrow Award, one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism. After graduating from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas in 1985, Devin began his career at WIBW-TV in Topeka. His job path took him to WAND in Decatur, Illinois, KLTV in Tyler, Texas, and KFOR in Oklahoma City where his around the clock coverage of the bombing at the Murrah Federal Building in 1995 helped the station win a Peabody Award. Nurturing a long love of politics, he created Flashpoint which quickly became required viewing for those in the know in both Oklahoma City and now in Detroit.
An accomplished musician and songwriter, Devin has released four albums of his original songs. He and his band Arizona Son make frequent appearances on the summer concert circuit. He’s opened for the likes of Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, and LeAnn Rimes.
He has played a journalist in several films including “The Double” starring Richard Gere and Topher Grace, and “Scream 4” directed by Wes Craven. Fans of The Ellen Show will recognize Devin from his special reports on everything from Facebook postings to the parking habits of SUV drivers.
Devin’s wife Corey is a ceramic artist. They have been together since high school in Junction City, Kansas. They reside in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. They have four children, Griffin, Quinn, Madison and Christian.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Devin Scillian
Scillian in 2003
Born January 11, 1963 (age 62)
Fort Riley, Kansas.
United States
Alma mater University of Kansas
Occupation(s) Journalist, country singer, children's author and actor
Years active 1985–2024
Employer WDIV-TV (1995–2024)
Spouse Corey Scillian
Children 4
Devin Scillian (/ˈskɪliən/ SKIL-ee-ən; born January 11, 1963) is a former American television journalist, musician and children's author.[1]
Broadcast career
While still a student at the University of Kansas, Scillian began his television career at WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas. After graduating from the William Allen White School of Journalism at Kansas, Scillian worked from 1985 to 1986 at WAND-TV in Decatur, Illinois. He spent the next three years as the main anchor at KLTV in Tyler, Texas, before moving to KFOR in Oklahoma City in 1989. He joined WDIV as a reporter in 1995, and took an anchor position in 1996. Scillian retired from WDIV on December 13, 2024.[2]
Scillian has appeared as a television journalist in several films, including Scream 4, The Double, and Mooz-lum, as well as a recurring role on The Ellen DeGeneres Show as a news anchor in a "Breaking News" skit.[3] He and his anchor partner Kimberly Gill appear as reporters on Eminem's twelfth studio album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).[4]
Books
His 22 books include A Is For America (2001), Fibblestax (2000), and Memoirs of a Goldfish (2010). He has co-written two books with his wife, Corey. One Kansas Farmer illustrated by Doug Bowles, was released in 2009. Their previous book, S Is For Sunflower, won the Bill Martin, Jr. Picture Book Award in 2007.[5] His most recent book is Memoirs of a Dog illustrated by Tim Bowers (2024).
Music
Scillian has released four albums of his original country music. He won the Detroit Music Award for Best Country Vocalist in 2018 and Best Country Performer in 2001. He and his band Arizona Son make frequent appearances at summer music festivals. They've opened for the likes of Toby Keith, Reba McEntire and LeAnn Rimes. [6]
Discography
Argentina (1995)
Tulsa (2000)
A is for America (2001)
Letter from London (2016)
Publications
Fibblestax (2000)
A is for America (2001)
One Nation: America by the Numbers (2002)
P is for Passport (2003)
Cosmo's Moon (2003)
S is for Sooner (2003)
S is for Sunflower (2004)
H is for Honor (2006)
Pappy's Handkerchief (2007)
Brewster the Rooster (2007)
One Kansas Farmer: A Kansas Number Book (2009)
Memoirs of a Goldfish (2010)
D is for Down Under: An Australia Alphabet (2010)
Westward Journeys (2013)
Memoirs of a Hamster (2013)
Johnny Kaw: A Tall Tale (2013)
Memoirs of an Elf (2014)
Memoirs of a Parrot (2016)
Mistletoe: A Very Confused Christmas (2017)
Back Roads Country Toads (2019)
Memoirs of a Tortoise (2020)
A Parliament of Owls (2022)
Memoirs of a Dog (2024)
Filmography
Scream 4 (2011) - Reporter #3
Mooz-lum (2011) - News broadcaster
The Double (2011) - Newscaster
Die Hart 2:Die Harter (2024) - News anchor (uncredited)
Book Giveaway: MEMOIRS OF A DOG by Devin Scillian
Devin Scillian has written a new picture book titled, MEMOIRS OF A DOG, Illustrated by Tim Bowers and published by Sleeping Bear Press. Sleeping Bear Press has agreed to share a copy with one lucky winner. All you have to do to get in the running is to leave a comment. Reblog, tweet, or talk about it on Facebook with a link, and you will get additional chances to win. Just let me know what other things you do to share the good news so I can put the right number of tickets in my basket for you.
Sharing on Facebook, Twitter, reblogging really helps spread the word for a new book. Thanks for helping Devin and Tim!
If you have signed up to follow my blog and it is delivered to you everyday, please let me know when you leave a comment and I will give you an extra ticket. Thanks!
BOOK DESCRIPTION:
Topanga the dog gets blamed for everything, but she’s here to tell you that the only reason the household works at all is because she’s the one in charge. Topanga wakes the family up, takes Big Guy for a run, gets the kids off to school on time, and chases off that trouble-making raccoon. And that’s not all! Will Topanga’s family ever realize what a giant role she plays in their lives? Maybe not before it’s time for her to go back to bed, she has another big day tomorrow after all.
BOOK JOURNEY:
My “Memoirs” series of books has presented me with a real challenge. I’ve been pretty tickled with the way each one has turned out — but with each one, I think to myself, “Well, that should probably be the last one. Sooner or later my luck (and ideas) will run out.” And yet, somehow each time I find a hill that I really want to climb. And that’s especially true with “Memoirs of a Dog.”
This all started with “Memoirs of a Goldfish”. Then I moved on to a hamster, a parrot, a tortoise and even an elf. But adding a dog to the series seemed to me a very daunting if overly obvious choice. Like to many people I absolutely love dogs; I often say we don’t deserve them. So I felt a fair amount of responsibility, even pressure, to find a way to include all of magic that dogs bring to our lives. Dogs are companions, entertainers, safety officers, welcome wagons, therapists, babysitters and more. And as I thought about that task, it dawned on me that perhaps that was exactly what the book should be about.
I continue to enjoy the memoirs format, and it’s been wonderful to find that teachers to, too. Having kids write in the first person as someone (or something) other than themselves is a terrific exercise in empathy and imagination. That’s something I didn’t fully realize until a few conversations with educators about the books. And in this particular case, after deciding to name my central character after our dog, Topanga, I found it great fun to try to get inside her head and look at life through the eyes of a very busy and dutiful canine.
A quick word about Topanga’s name, by the way. Many will remember the TV series “Boy Meets World.” Played by Danielle Fishel, Topanga was one half of a couple along with Cory (played by Ben Savage). When we got our new puppy years ago, it was my wife’s turn to choose a name. And my wife’s name is Corey — Sooooo, Corey and Topanga were again a couple!
DEVIN’S BIO:
Devin is equally at home on your television, on your bookshelf, and on your iTunes. School children, teachers and parents know him as the writer behind the Memoirs series including Memoirs of a Goldfish, winner of the Wanda Gag Award as the nation’s best read aloud book. Television viewers in Michigan and Ontario know him as their evening news anchor on WDIV-TV, NBC in Detroit. And music lovers know him as the winner of the prestigious Detroit Music Award for Best Country Performer.
Devin is the author of over 20 children’s books. His book A is for America became a national bestseller that even found its way beneath the White House Christmas tree. In 2004, First Lady Laura Bush invited him to read at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. His book, Memoirs of a Goldfish” was chosen as the Michigan Reads book, and has won a slew of children’s choice awards including New York, Maryland and New Hampshire. His other books include Fibblestax, Cosmo’s Moon, and H Is For Honor. His newest title is Back Roads Country Toads. In 2017, he was honored with the Gwen Frostic Award from the Michigan Reading Association for his contributions to literacy in Michigan.
Devin joined WDIV-TV in August, 1995 as a reporter and moved into the anchor position in 1996. He’s been honored for his work both at home and abroad. His assignments have taken him from the Forbidden City in Beijing to St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, from the Red Sea to Moscow, from Jerusalem to Siberia. His well-worn passport has taken him to six Olympiads. Four times he has won the Edward R. Murrow Award, one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism. After graduating from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas in 1985, Devin began his career at WIBW-TV in Topeka. His job path took him to WAND in Decatur, Illinois, KLTV in Tyler, Texas, and KFOR in Oklahoma City where his around the clock coverage of the bombing at the Murrah Federal Building in 1995 helped the station win a Peabody Award. Nurturing a long love of politics, he created Flashpoint which quickly became required viewing for those in the know in both Oklahoma City and now in Detroit.
An accomplished musician and songwriter, Devin has released four albums of his original songs. He and his band Arizona Son make frequent appearances on the summer concert circuit. He’s opened for the likes of Toby Keith, Reba McEntire, and LeAnn Rimes.
He has played a journalist in several films including “The Double” starring Richard Gere and Topher Grace, and “Scream 4” directed by Wes Craven. Fans of The Ellen Show will recognize Devin from his special reports on everything from Facebook postings to the parking habits of SUV drivers.
Devin’s wife Corey is a ceramic artist. They have been together since high school in Junction City, Kansas. They reside in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. They have four children, Griffin, Quinn, Madison and Christian.
In addition to Memoirs of a Tortoise, Deavin is also the author of Back Roads, Country Toads, plus numerous other books for Sleeping Bear Press inlcuding the national bestseller, A is for America: An American Alphabet, Memoirs of a Goldfish, Memoirs of a Hamster, Memoirs of an Elf, and Memoirs of a Parrot. Devin lives in Michigan with his family. Find out more about Devin at http://www.devinscillian.com.
Bowers, Tim MEMOIRS OF A DOG Sleeping Bear Press (Children's None) $18.99 8, 1 ISBN: 9781534112995
A day in the life of a very busy pooch.
A fluffy white dog named Topanga starts the day at 6:30 a.m. First, Topanga awakens the rest of the household: parents "Big Guy" and "Lady," children "Ponytail," "Moptop," and "Freckles," and brand-new baby "Poop-and-Cry." Topanga helps out all day long, finding Ponytail's tights, keeping Poop-and-Cry occupied while Lady works on her computer and Big Guy does laundry, and alerting Lady to a kitchen fire. Later, Topanga saves Freckles from the neighbor bully dog Buster and lends a sympathetic ear when Moptop describes a bad day at school. When the family erupts into a series of arguments, Topanga knocks over the flour in the kitchen, distracting everyone from their various crises. The day comes to a close as Topanga entertains Poop-and-Cry, who says her first word:Topanga! Scillian and Bowers add another winning volume to their successful Memoirs series. Scillian's text, narrated by Topanga, perfectly captures a dog's perspective. Topanga is a mix of exuberance, self-confidence, and patience--everything readers young and old love about dogs. Though Topanga's a crucial part of this family, the humans are often oblivious to the ways in which their pet saves the day; readers will giggle knowingly. Bowers' energetic cartoon illustrations ramp up the humor. The family is light-skinned.
A fantastically fun tale; little ones longing for their own dogs will come away even more eager for a four-legged friend.(Picture book. 4-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Bowers, Tim: MEMOIRS OF A DOG." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A810315426/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=08f9e903. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.