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charliescorer_6's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
popsiwinkle's review against another edition
5.0
Having devoured this book a million times as a kid, this was my first time reading as an adult. And what a treat it is. I didn't realise quite how funny it was as a child but it had me chuckling and reading bits aloud many times. It reminded me of Black Beauty in a way in that it gives you a clear anti cruelty and pro animal message, with an emphasis on how much more animals understand than we give credit for. A lovely book.
kstephensreads's review against another edition
What a fun read!! Loved this sweet story.
belleoftheb00ks's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lisakerd's review against another edition
2.0
I can see why Disney made the changes they did. A lot of aspects of this children’s story were quite dated and the Perdita sister-wives thing with Pongo and Misses was really strange…
katykelly's review
4.0
Fresh-look illustrations add to a classic story.
Yet another one I have to hang my head in shame about - I truly thought I'd read this, but in getting our lovely new edition down to read with my eldest, I soon realised I actually only knew the Disney cartoon and not the book at all. Time to rectify, methinks.
Well, I was soon able to confirm that this is an excellent children's book, with many of the important aspects kept by Disney, but lots of changes that were interesting to note.
As in the well-known cartoon, the two Dalmatian dogs live with their 'pets' in London, and are expecting their first litter of puppies. Cruella de Vil, known to the family through work, a lover of furs, shows a keen interest in the forthcoming spotty pups. When the newly-born puppies are stolen, their parents go off in search of them, using the dog communication network, the Twilight Barking, to locate them and their captors.
With extra characters (a sad Perdita and her backstory), Cruella's cat, as well as a longer pursuit, what I thought might be a slightly old-fashioned-seeming narrative in actuality was a modern-feeling tale set in a bygone era. My seven-year-old loved reading (and listening to) this, he knew just what was going on and was invested in the dog family.
There are aspects that might upset some children - of course the idea of fur coats is now quite passé, but the wet nurse Perdita's story of starvation, the cat's kittens' fate, there may be uncomfortable discussions in here. Personally, I wasn't keen on Missus and Pongo's characterisation as the 'dumb blonde' and her mate explaining all the harder concepts of life to her, but I suppose that is one aspect of older literature that just has to be explained and accepted for what it is. I don't think heroines would ever be written like this today.
We enjoyed following along in the car (library audio version) as well as reading this in bed together, it took us about a fortnight, so needs a decent amount of concentration on the part of the listener. The audio version was read with spirit and clarity by Martin Jarvis, and we loved the book that Alex T Smith has added his own style of illustrations to. Cruella is deliciously stick-thin and pure evil on paper, just as you'd imagine her (even without seeing her Disney-fied).
I'm so glad I'm able to share older titles like this with my son and find we both love them, no effort required. While there is so much of value written today, I think it's important for children to see that cartoons are often based on books, that 'old books' are just as fun, as exciting, as easy to read.
Highly recommended for children (and their parents) from age 6. They will need support if under around 9.
Yet another one I have to hang my head in shame about - I truly thought I'd read this, but in getting our lovely new edition down to read with my eldest, I soon realised I actually only knew the Disney cartoon and not the book at all. Time to rectify, methinks.
Well, I was soon able to confirm that this is an excellent children's book, with many of the important aspects kept by Disney, but lots of changes that were interesting to note.
As in the well-known cartoon, the two Dalmatian dogs live with their 'pets' in London, and are expecting their first litter of puppies. Cruella de Vil, known to the family through work, a lover of furs, shows a keen interest in the forthcoming spotty pups. When the newly-born puppies are stolen, their parents go off in search of them, using the dog communication network, the Twilight Barking, to locate them and their captors.
With extra characters (a sad Perdita and her backstory), Cruella's cat, as well as a longer pursuit, what I thought might be a slightly old-fashioned-seeming narrative in actuality was a modern-feeling tale set in a bygone era. My seven-year-old loved reading (and listening to) this, he knew just what was going on and was invested in the dog family.
There are aspects that might upset some children - of course the idea of fur coats is now quite passé, but the wet nurse Perdita's story of starvation, the cat's kittens' fate, there may be uncomfortable discussions in here. Personally, I wasn't keen on Missus and Pongo's characterisation as the 'dumb blonde' and her mate explaining all the harder concepts of life to her, but I suppose that is one aspect of older literature that just has to be explained and accepted for what it is. I don't think heroines would ever be written like this today.
We enjoyed following along in the car (library audio version) as well as reading this in bed together, it took us about a fortnight, so needs a decent amount of concentration on the part of the listener. The audio version was read with spirit and clarity by Martin Jarvis, and we loved the book that Alex T Smith has added his own style of illustrations to. Cruella is deliciously stick-thin and pure evil on paper, just as you'd imagine her (even without seeing her Disney-fied).
I'm so glad I'm able to share older titles like this with my son and find we both love them, no effort required. While there is so much of value written today, I think it's important for children to see that cartoons are often based on books, that 'old books' are just as fun, as exciting, as easy to read.
Highly recommended for children (and their parents) from age 6. They will need support if under around 9.
eviehix's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
anluu's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
robbynjreeve's review against another edition
4.0
Genre(s): children's, classic
Theme(s): dogs, rescue mission
Recommended for ages: 7+
Summary: Pongo and Missis's 15 puppies have been stolen! Now they must journey across England in the middle of winter to save their precious pups, and the other 82 puppies that have been kidnapped by the wicked Cruella De Vil and her husband in the hopes of turning them into fur coats.
Review: I thought this was a cute story. It was interesting to learn that Perdita is a "hired wet nurse" to help feed Missis's puppies in the novel and not Pongo's love interest. In general, I thought the Disney animated movie did a pretty good job remaining true to the story.
Recommended for fans of: Mary Poppins, A Bear Called Paddington
If you loved this book then you should try.... McGrowl series, Animal Ark series, Puppy Patrol series
Star Rating: ✮✮✮✮✩
Theme(s): dogs, rescue mission
Recommended for ages: 7+
Summary: Pongo and Missis's 15 puppies have been stolen! Now they must journey across England in the middle of winter to save their precious pups, and the other 82 puppies that have been kidnapped by the wicked Cruella De Vil and her husband in the hopes of turning them into fur coats.
Review: I thought this was a cute story. It was interesting to learn that Perdita is a "hired wet nurse" to help feed Missis's puppies in the novel and not Pongo's love interest. In general, I thought the Disney animated movie did a pretty good job remaining true to the story.
Recommended for fans of: Mary Poppins, A Bear Called Paddington
If you loved this book then you should try.... McGrowl series, Animal Ark series, Puppy Patrol series
Star Rating: ✮✮✮✮✩
sofia_santana's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0