Charlie the Ranch Dog

By: Ree Drummond
Illustrated By: Diane deGroat
Publisher: HarperCollins (Children’s Books)
Publication Date: April 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-199655-9
Reviewed by: Amy Lignor 
Review Date: May 5, 2011 

Let’s here it for dog people!

In this utterly fantastic, adorable story, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, enters the world of children’s fiction with a bang! You can tell that Ms. Drummond is writing about a subject she truly loves - her dog Charlie; and will remind all readers of their own beloved ‘friend’ who stands by their side, loves to ‘nap’ as frequently as possible, and eats a great deal of bacon.

You see, Charlie is a basset hound who works very, very hard on his family’s ranch. This loveable guy works side by side with his best friend Suzie. Suzie is a dog who is a bundle of high energy; she rarely, if ever, sits down and takes a rest. While Charlie, on the other hand, likes to pace himself.

On the ranch, they wake up very early every day to begin work. Really early - as in, the sun hasn’t even come up yet. Poor Charlie gets up slowly and makes sure to head outside to begin the day. He fills his hours with many things, such as protecting the yard from Daisy the Cow, as well as helping Mom with the gardening. He also patrols the porch to make sure there are no critters under there waiting for their chance to come inside and create havoc in the house. Charlie tries his best to teach Suzie how to do all these things, while still getting in a few naps, and heading to his bowl in order to enjoy as much bacon as humanly possible. After all, you have to have strength in order to get through the long, hard ranch days.

The illustrations in this book are hysterical! The way Charlie snoozes while Suzie jumps fences, works the garden, and plays ALL day long, fills every page with fun and laughter. And, with a powerful ending that shows why Charlie is extremely necessary when he saves the day, makes this a book that should be on the shelf in every child’s room. You will even look down at your own “hard-working” friend as he snores peacefully, and run out to the store to buy him as many treats as possible.

Quill Says: A fantastic example of pure humor, love, and heart. Hopefully this duo will get together on far more projects, because the world is in dire need of excellent children’s books such as this one. And it would be great to see Charlie again!