I Love You Dude

by V. Radunsky Published by Gulliver Books/Hartcourt 2005 46 Pages Genre: Modern Fantasy Summary: Dude was born, right on a wall of fresh paint. A little girl had drawn him there. Dude was a thin elephant with shoes. Dude realizes that he doesn't belong on the wall, so he jumps off and looks for a new home. He finds himself a home on a mug, with others like him. I love NY, and I love Lucy. His mug is bought and he goes to live with a little girl who drinks milk out of the mug every day. Until her aunt was horrible to Dude and called him names. So he ran away, and tried living a few other places, but was sadly disappointed. Soon, Dude finds himself laying on the sidewalk wishing to just be washed away. An artist sees him and takes him to a museum. He loves his new home. People come to see him and say how much they love him. My Reaction: This book was quite inspiring. How fun to have a sidewalk drawing have such an adventure. I really enjoyed the genius of the mug he lived on. I thought the illustrations were so fun. He was a skinny little elephant, with big brown shoes. I think I would read this book to my kids for sure. Potential Problems: He is looking for someone to love him, so a little depression. Recommendations: I think this is a wonderful book for kids that are trying to start reading chapter books. It's a great switch over book. Lots of words, but still pictures.