Synopses & Reviews
Here's a tale of a boy and his robotic best (canine) friend. When Scoot the Cat comes on the scene, Motor Dog does what any normal dog would do: gives chase! Our boy Flip does everything he can to call him off, but no commands-verbal or electronic-can stop his new dog. When Flip runs after his malfunctioning pet, things go haywire! Will Motor Dog come through when Flip's in danger? Merging Kurt Cyrus' dynamic poetry with David Gordon's stellar art makes for a wham-bam combination of fast-paced peril and classic storytelling that begs to be read again and again.
Review
A robot dog seems like the ideal pet until it gets one look at a neighborhood cat. Then its special features kick in of their own accord, and the dumbfounded owner, a redheaded boy named Flip, finds himself airborne. At the other end of the leash, Motor Dog pursues its prey down the street and into the trees: " Hold your horses! Shift your gears!'/ Motor Dog switched off his ears./ Then he lit his booster rocket./ Flip's right shoulder left its socket." With a premise updated for the digital age (Flip orders Motor Dog off the Internet using a tablet he has secreted under the bedcovers), Cyrus (Your Skeleton Is Showing) and Gordon (Off Go Their Engines, Off Go Their Lights) have created an entertaining addition to the be-careful-what-tech-you-wish-for shelf. Gordon's spreads have a palpable dynamism combined with a painterly elegance; some readers may be reminded of the work of William Joyce. An irreverent tribute to the bond between boy and (bionically enhanced) dog. Ages 4 8.--PW
Review
MOTOR DOG Author - Cyrus, Kurt Illustrator: Gordon, David Review Issue Date: February 1, 2014
Review
PreS-Gr 2 A boy named Flip orders a computerized dog with "bonus features" from the Internet. When it arrives, he uses the remote control to take his new pet for a walk. Trouble ensues when it starts chasing a live cat. When the kitty climbs a tree, Motor Dog sprouts rocket blasters to zoom up after it. No matter how frantically he pushes the control buttons, Flip can't get the computerized canine to stop. When he loses his grip on the leash and starts to fall from the height of the tree, Motor Dog does the right thing and rescues its owner. Flip decides that he doesn't need all that electronic gadgetry and accepts his newly named Buddy as a regular dog. Cyrus's rhyming story moves along at a fast clip, with an occasional stumble sometimes the sound effects printed in red are part of the verse, and other times they aren't. Gordon's creative use of perspective enhances the chase scenes. This light romp is an easy read for today's gadget-obsessed kids. Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT--SLJ
Review
A boy named Flip orders a robotic dog from the Internet in this cleverly rhymed story that manages to be both original in concept and conventional in portraying the bond between boy and dog. The snappy, effective text will grab readers with its bouncy rhythm and catchy rhymes, like Motor Dog/catalog and extra stuff/ruff! ruff! Motor Dog is remote-controlled and jet-propelled, and he comes with a booster rocket and a convenient parachute. Instead of conventional dog-training commands, Flip makes him behave with lots of computer terms that will draw kids into believing in the premise of an electronic pet. On a walk with Flip, Motor Dog spots a cat and takes off in pursuit, chasing the cat up a tree and flying up to attack with the help of his helicopter attachment. All this causes Flip to decide he would rather have just a regular dog, so he strips Motor Dog of all his extra gear and calls him just plain Buddy. The cat, though, seeing opportunity in the discarded gadgetry, turns himself into Rocket Cat, flying off the final page in a satisfying conclusion. The bold illustrations are full of motion and varied perspectives, with sound-effect words set in red display type. An amusing fable for the techno-savvy and Luddites alike. (Picture book. 4-10)--Kirkus
About the Author
Kurt Cyrus has illustrated numerous picture books, including Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly by Anne Bustard, Mammoths on the Move by Lisa Wheeler, and his own The Voyage of Turtle Rex and Hotel Deep: Light Verse from Dark Water. He is also the author of Your Skeleton Is Showing, illustrated by Crab Scrambly. He lives in Cottage Grove, Oregon. Visit him at www.kurtcyrus.com.
David Gordon (www.illustrationranch.com) is an author and illustrator, and has also done concept work for Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2; A Bug's Life; Monsters, Inc.; and Cars, as well as the hit Nickelodeon cartoon show SpongeBob SquarePants. He helped design the characters in BlueSky's feature film Robots. David Gordon lives in New York City, where he continues to create stories for children.