Hoppy and Joe - Hardcover

Splashes of beach-ball-bright color set the summery mood in this tale of an unlikely friendship between a lonely dog and a one-legged seagull. Joe the dog spends his days alone on the beach while his owner, Gino, runs a busy lemon-ice stand. Things pick up when Joe rescues a tough-talking seagull who has lost part of a leg when caught between two rocks. Even after Gino bans the bird from the stand ("He'll drive away my customers"), Joe steadfastly nurses Hoppy back to health. Later, when Joe's owner decides to pack up the truck and move south, Hoppy thinks it's curtains for their companionship, but Joe finds a way to keep everyone together. The mother-and-son collaborators (Junior Kroll; The Tangerine Bear) demonstrate their customary brand of offbeat humorAHoppy's recuperation involves a diet of french fries and piggyback rides up and down the beach ("I just want to feel the wind in my feathers," he tells Joe). Michael Paraskevas's acrylics brim with drollery. One accomplished sequence shows a pessimistic Hoppy imagining his attempt to follow Joe and Gino south (in thought bubbles, he sees himself lying dazed, his beak crumpled, seeing stars; he pictures the feathers falling from his wings), but he lets Joe persuade him (he envisions himself wearing sunglasses on a tropical beach). Another feather in the Paraskevases' cap. Ages 4-8. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreSchool-Grade 2-A brown mutt named Joe wanders the beach alone while Gino, his owner, works at his lemon-ice stand. During his travels, the dog rescues a gull whose leg is caught between some rocks, and the two develop an odd-couple friendship. The bird is a whiner who dreams of flying south. He also has a limp, but Joe is happy to haul Hoppy around on his back. One day, Gino loses his lease and decides to hit the road and head south. The pup encourages Hoppy to come along, although the wounded bird is afraid of flying. As Joe rides in Gino's truck, Hoppy flies overhead but it soon becomes obvious that the gull cannot keep up. Although Gino doesn't want the gull to sully his truck, Joe takes a stand and the man finally decides to give the bird a lift. He soon learns to love Hoppy, and the three settle happily in their new beachfront home. Colorful cartoon paintings in bold colors evoke sand and bright sunshine and provide a suitable setting for this silly story of three unlikely friends.
Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.