Levi PinfoldCritiques

The black dog is only as big and scary as you believe it is! Wonderfully detailed illustrations and a mildly scary plot make this really fun to share one-on-one.

Two scary books in one night does not lend to a calm sleep. I'm not sure how to express my thoughts/feelings other than to say I am deeply bothered by this dark fairy-tale like book, replete with spooky illustrations and a haunting story that is way too deep for children..and adults.

While there is no doubt this illustrator is exceedingly talented, I found the story way too spooky and deeply dark. Here is a description found while browsing and trying to describe how I feel about this disturbing book:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/716059/paradise-sands-by-levi-pinfold-i....

The illustrations in this were absolutely gorgeous. There's a quiet magic to this book.

The book is setup up be targeted for an older audience, this is referred to by the use of language, vocabulary, illustrations, and the story line of the book. Regardless the book is still fun, exciting, and is something what will be enjoyable to read by children of different ages.

This story is great because the illustrations convey so much emotion. The dark colors at the beginning show the readers the fear the family is feeling, and the warm colors at the end show the comfort of home and family. These stories are great to talk about assumptions, kindness, and fear.

Summary: A large black dog appears in front of a family home and the only one who confronts it is the youngest child.

This story is interesting because while the whole Hope family sees a black dog, getting larger and larger and hiding from it, the youngest member of the family is brave and actually goes outside to greet it. After being chased, Small still isn't afraid. I feel that this story promotes bravery, risk taking, and overcoming fear.

La familia Hope se esconde de un perro negro porque le tenia miedo , pero la mas pequeña de la familia se hace amiga y demuestra a su familia que no es peligro y se convierten en amigos.

weird, but beautiful.

Stunnning artwork in an unusual fantasy story about wonder and acceptance. A man finds a green baby who causes plants to grow prolifically. His wife is less accepting but comes round when the townsfolk wish to push him out: "...We should welcome this Greenling into our house, we've been living in his all along!"

Stunning illustrations and a lovely story about confronting your fears.

The illustrations in this were absolutely gorgeous. There's a quiet magic to this book.

An enormous black dog and a little girl named Small star in this offbeat story about confronting one’s fears.

GREENLING by Levi Pinfold is a beautifully illustrated picture book fable.

Designed for the middle grades, this thought-provoking ecological fantasy features a mysterious green baby who stimulates plant growth and the power of nature wherever he goes. This story of the connection between people and the natural world will promote lots of student discussion.

Librarians will want to add this title to their growing collection of picture books for older youth.

To learn more about the author/illustrator, go to http://www.levipinfold.com/.

Published by Templar, an imprint of Random House on February 23, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Black Dog is a nice book for all ages. It portrays fear and how to overcome your fear. The pictures are full of soft colors and gentle words.

47 months - beautifully illustrated and a cute story.

All children struggle with fears. This book would help them deal with fears they may have. Boston Globe Honor book

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. I didn't really enjoy the illustrations as much as I enjoyed the story.

Black Dog is not your ordinary picture book, nor does the title character appear to be an ordinary dog. One morning, while a family is snug in their home on a snowy day, and everyone is still in their pajamas, the patriarch sees a tiger-sized dog in their yard. As each family member catches sight of the gruesome dog and his big, yellow eyes, he grows in size and so does their panic. It is up to the littlest of the family, Hope, whose feet don’t even reach the end of her footies, to confront the ever-growing beast.
The layout and look is as clever and whimsical as Levi Pinfold’s story. His illustrations are arranged in a way that almost mimics that of a graphic novel; some pages have several small, sepia-toned pictures, where others are large and full-paged. The detail of the pictures are a fantastic addition to the story, and one can easily imagine the full life of the family from the way he depicts each room of the house, from the toys on the floor to the faded children’s drawings on the walls. This reviewer, for one, could stare at the illustration for hours. (And, as a bonus, young readers can play a little I Spy to locate the octopus toy that can be found on every page.)

"Black Dog" is a fantasy-infused tale about overcoming your fears and many other messages. For example, as each family member saw the dog they exaggerated about the size of the dog which can come back to reality in that people tend to make mountains out of molehills when it comes to problems they may face. Something as simple as a child's innocence, however, is often something that can bring a person back to reality and allow them to see a problem for what it really is: an obstacle that can be overcome.

Read 15 picture books today and this was the clear favorite. Might have to ponder it more and then add review.

I had this on my Wish it Was Caldecott Eligible shelf, so I was very happy to hear it won a Greenaway Medal in Great Britian!

What shone here for me were the unique and lush illustrations, both the large and colorful ones and the miniature gray tone ones. I love their intricacies and their style. Just lovely and fun to view. The pictures make the book, and they’re worth the read.

The story and its message about fear and lack thereof/facing fear is okay. Actually, I’d recommend this mostly to dog lovers, many of all ages who might find this book humorous, although I suppose it could make for a good read or gift for anyone about to embark on a new endeavor or change they might find scary and might need or want to face. The very young might like it since here it’s the youngest character who’s the bravest.

I did think it was weird that the fearful older people in the household allowed the youngest member to venture outside.

5 stars for the pictures and 3 ½ stars for the story

4 ½ stars

Loving the fun and brilliance of Black Dog. A tyrannosaurus-size dog is outside the Hope residence. Everyone inside goes to hide, except Small Hope who marches outside and takes charge of the situation with a clever poem and love in her heart.

Who is scared of a big black dog?