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froydis's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this! Little Charlie just has to draw, and his new teacher finds a way for him to enjoy his hobby and still get his schoolwork done. This is a wonderful story that shows everyone has their strengths, if we can just take the time to find them.
reader44ever's review
4.0
3.5 stars - good!
I really liked this book, but... (It's a huge "but;" I explain it towards the end of this review.)
The story was very good and the artwork was fantastic! Charlie Muttnik is a neat pup who has a passion for drawing. He draws everything, everywhere, on everything...including on his homework! His teacher is less than thrilled, but I was very glad she recognized that Charlie had smarts, they just showed themselves in different ways from the rest of the class. I was very happy that she then chose a new method of learning for Charlie: she let him incorporate drawing into his schoolwork. :)
Charlie's grades promptly improved greatly and he even won a blue ribbon at an art show of his class's artwork. :)
I was very happy at the outcome of the story: Charlie happy and getting good grades as he was able to express himself in his own way, and his teacher exploring new teaching/learning methods to help all the children she teaches succeed.
But... The reason I'm not rating this story higher is because I'm not sure of its suitability for children. I think it's great that Charlie was able to get good grades because he had a teacher who was willing to explore a different learning method. However, I also think this may be setting up children who read this story for disappointment. What if a child is like Charlie but has a teacher who is not willing to explore non-standard teaching methods?
Is this just my cynicism showing itself? Do others feel the same? I don't know; I can only share my own opinions and viewpoints. If I had a child who was like Charlie, I just know I wouldn't get this book for them unless and/or until they had a teacher like Charlie. (I would do everything in my power to have my child's teacher be like Charlie's.) Kids express themselves more freely than adults do, and I can just imagine the trouble a child would get into by saying, "Why can't you be like Charlie's teacher? She understood and let him do things his way!"
I should say that I do not have children, nor will I ever have children (human children, that is; my dog/s is/will be my kid/s). Perhaps the reasons I don't like this book would float right over the heads of kids who read this book? Again, I don't know.
I really liked this book, but... (It's a huge "but;" I explain it towards the end of this review.)
The story was very good and the artwork was fantastic! Charlie Muttnik is a neat pup who has a passion for drawing. He draws everything, everywhere, on everything...including on his homework! His teacher is less than thrilled, but I was very glad she recognized that Charlie had smarts, they just showed themselves in different ways from the rest of the class. I was very happy that she then chose a new method of learning for Charlie: she let him incorporate drawing into his schoolwork. :)
Charlie's grades promptly improved greatly and he even won a blue ribbon at an art show of his class's artwork. :)
I was very happy at the outcome of the story: Charlie happy and getting good grades as he was able to express himself in his own way, and his teacher exploring new teaching/learning methods to help all the children she teaches succeed.
But... The reason I'm not rating this story higher is because I'm not sure of its suitability for children. I think it's great that Charlie was able to get good grades because he had a teacher who was willing to explore a different learning method. However, I also think this may be setting up children who read this story for disappointment. What if a child is like Charlie but has a teacher who is not willing to explore non-standard teaching methods?
Is this just my cynicism showing itself? Do others feel the same? I don't know; I can only share my own opinions and viewpoints. If I had a child who was like Charlie, I just know I wouldn't get this book for them unless and/or until they had a teacher like Charlie. (I would do everything in my power to have my child's teacher be like Charlie's.) Kids express themselves more freely than adults do, and I can just imagine the trouble a child would get into by saying, "Why can't you be like Charlie's teacher? She understood and let him do things his way!"
I should say that I do not have children, nor will I ever have children (human children, that is; my dog/s is/will be my kid/s). Perhaps the reasons I don't like this book would float right over the heads of kids who read this book? Again, I don't know.
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