I found what looks like a fun group over at 5 minutes for books. This week the Children's Classics section is discussing Caldecott Award winners. So I researched the list. I have Officer Buckle & Gloria (Caldecott Medal Book) by Peggy Rathmann. Looks like a good time to join in on the fun.
What can I say about Officer Buckle and Gloria? You don't plan an accident. Officer Buckle makes it his mission to create many rules to keep people safe. While they make a lot of sense, when he tries to share his many tips at school assemblies the presentation is B-O-R-I-N-G. That is, until Officer Buckle is given a new partner -- a police dog named Gloria.
Gloria acts out the safety tips in humorous ways while standing behind Officer Buckle. The children show a lot of interest in the "new" safety presentations. But Officer Buckle doesn't realize why until a TV crew shows him & Gloria on the news. Officer Buckle's feelings are hurt when he realizes that people are watching Gloria and not him. He decides to stop giving safety presentations.
What will happen at the school if there are no more safety presentations? What will Gloria do? Will Officer Buckle ever come back?
The illustrations are very funny. One of my favorites is when Gloria was giving out autographs to children when Officer Buckle was buying an ice cream cone. Younger children might need to have you point out how silly Gloria is in the pictures acting out the safety tips. The illustrations really add a lot to this humorous story.
to my nephew as a gift. It is made from recycled plastic milk jugs and is very sturdy.
