Ginny is frustrated by manners are required of her in all she does, but her dog never has to use them. Ginny explains the problem to the readers by demonstrating all the ways that she must use manners, but then shows how her dog doesn't have to, i.e., she must say "please pass the food", but her dog just gets food without using manners. Ginny thinks it isn't fair and she begins to imagine what her life would be like if she could be just like her pet, Jack. The illustrations provide funny scenes where Ginny eats her dinner like a dog and sits in the doghouse during a rainstorm because she doesn't have to clean it. The colorful, explicit illustrations are enough to provide readers with a clear understanding of the development of the plot. Ginny wants to be a dog so she can avoid manners, but she discovers through the theme (using manners is important because she's not an animal) that being a dog isn't all it's cracked up to be and she ultimately solves her own problem by deciding to use manners when she has to. The use of language in this book is to reinforce the illustrations by providing details about the ways Ginny should be like her dog. The details allow children to hear, see, and even smell what it's like to be Ginny as she describes how she can hear "pork chops sizzling" and how it sure does "smell good". The language style helps students take in the book using multiple senses and details to help them form pictures in their mind.
Genre: Contemporary realistic fiction ( )

My Dog Never Says Please
“My Dog Never Says Please” by Suzanne Williams teaches that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Ginny is tired of her parents always making her do things she doesn’t want to do and believes the dog has a better life then she does. For example, “My dog never says please, and no one thinks a thing about it”. The language is clear and descriptive, especially about Ginny’s feelings. “Sometimes I just wish I were a dog” and “What a life he’s got” are two examples of Ginny’s feelings about wanting to be her dog. The illustrations are cartoon-like and have enjoyable color. When Ginny has to clean her room and her mother says it “looks like a tornado went through here”, the illustration shows her room being a mess! Finally, the book pushes the reader to think about tough issues and broaden perspective. Although Ginny thinks it would be better to be the family dog, she soon realizes that may be it isn’t so great after all! When Ginny’s Mom is making dinner she can “hear pork chops sizzling through the open window”. When the thunderstorm comes she says “I wonder if this doghouse leaks”. Eventually Ginny decides to go back in and wash up for dinner because “Pa says I can go back to being myself anytime”. The big idea of this book is to show that grass isn’t always greener on the other side. ( )

this is a cute little book. ( )

Southern accent. big-mid-end falls short on the ending though.