Claude in the City

by Alex T. Smith

Overview

When Mr. and Mrs. Shineyshoes leave for the day, their dog Claude and his sock puppet sidekick, Sir Bobblysock, travel to the city for the very first time. From Alex T. Smith's hilariously illustrated early chapter book series.

After arriving in the city, Claude and Sir Bobblysock go shopping, visit a museum, foil a robbery, and heal an entire hospital waiting room full of patients. What a wonderful day!

Quirky, delightfully odd, and positively surreal, Alex T. Smith's beloved Claude series promises fits of giggles for readers transitioning from picture books to chapter books. Two-color illustrations throughout.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682630259
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	10/17/2017
Series:	Claude , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	32 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Alex T. Smith briefly considered careers in space travel, cookery and being a rabbit, but finally decided to become an illustrator. He earned a first-class honors degree in Illustration from Coventry University and went on to create the award-winning Claude series which has been developed as an animated TV show. When he isn't doodling in his sketchbook, Alex can be found people-watching and eavesdropping. He lives in England with two very tiny and naughty dogs.

Editorial Reviews

Although the book’s duotone artwork and small format don’t draw attention to themselves, British author/illustrator Smith’s canine hero Claude and his sidekick, a sock named Sir Bobblysock, prove to be fountains of good cheer and sweet humor. In the first chapter, Claude and Sir Bobblysock tour the big city; in the second, they make an unexpected trip to the hospital. Primer-like narration—“First, Claude and Sir Bobblysock went for a walk.... Everybody seemed very friendly!”—is upended by the artwork, which shows dog and sock strolling down the center of a busy avenue, oblivious to the rude gestures of human cabbies and bicyclists (and to the pink brassiere that flies out of the trunk of one taxi). In the hospital, Claude distinguishes himself by taking temperatures with a banana. While Claude’s unapologetic love of shopping (“Claude hurried inside and bought a beret in every color and every pattern”) and Smith’s twee narration (“He gasped like this: gasp!”) may cause some eye-rolling, there’s much to love in this resurrection of the cheerful city chronicle of the ’60s, complete with pillbox hats and fox stoles. Ages 5–9. Agent: Arena Illustration. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"The tiny trim size and duo-tone artwork, all shades of black, grey, red, and pink, give this UK import a distinctly retro feel, and Claude–mostly head and snout–is an amiable, unintentional hero. . . It's cool and hipfeeling and, at times, quite funny. Kids who dig quirky Claude will await his next adventures." —Booklist

"With quirky illustrations and goofy humor, Claude's adventures will be catnip to 7- to 11-year-olds who like to laugh." —The Wall Street Journal

"Claude and his sidekick, a sock named Sir Bobblysock, prove to be foundations of good cheer and sweet humor. . . There's much to love in this resurrection of the cheerful city chronicle of the '60s. . . " —Publishers Weekly

"While there are no comics or superheroes, some of the wordplay (the doctor's name is Ivan Achinbum) as well as the display of underwear (both men's and women's) in numerous illustrations may remind readers of the perennially popular Captain Underpants series." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Gr 1–3—This transitional chapter book offers a wacky plot, silly humor, and an abundance of grayscale illustrations with red accents. Claude, a small, beret-wearing dog, lives with "Mr. and Mrs. Shinyshoes…[and] his best friend, Sir Bobblysock," an animated, striped sock. One day, the pup and his pal go to the city where they gaze at skyscrapers, walk through traffic, and shop. Claude purchases several berets, which are packed in a stack of boxes. After a visit to an art museum, the pair go to a café, where a woman who has stolen a sculpture is caught when she runs into Claude and his boxes, making him a hero. The next morning, Sir Bobblysock does not feel well, and after Claude takes his temperature with a banana, they go to the hospital and see Dr. Achinbum. In a case of mistaken identity, Claude is recruited to treat a group of female wrestlers stricken with a mysterious illness, curing them with "a nice cup of tea and a…cookie…." And Sir Bobblysock is as good as new after a small hole in his heel gets darned. Cartoonish line drawings feature retro clothing with impeccable tailoring, stylish embellishments, and tightly cinched waists.—Laura Scott, Farmington Community Library, MI

School Library Journal

This British import mixes outlandish adventures (or possibly very vivid dreams) with intentionally juvenile jokes to create a zany first (U.S.) entry in a series for transitioning readers. The episodic plot follows two days in the life of Claude, a talking, beret-wearing dog, and his best friend, a sentient, independently mobile sock named Sir Bobblysock. On the first day, Claude and his friend visit a cafe, enjoy a shopping spree in a hat shop and finish up with a trip to the art museum, where Claude inadvertently foils a robbery. On the next, they take a trip to the hospital since Sir Bobblysock is feeling poorly. While there are no comics or superheroes, some of the wordplay (the doctor's name is Ivan Achinbum) as well as the display of underwear (both men's and women's) in numerous illustrations may remind readers of the perennially popular Captain Underpants series. Smith's text varies from short, simple declarative sentences typical of early readers to longer, more complex sentences and paragraphs that feature sophisticated vocabulary and concepts. The digitally created artwork resembles pen and ink with pencil shading, and the palette is limited to black, gray and red with coral accents. This color scheme gives the illustrations a distinctly retro feel, while Claude's vague resemblance to both Underdog and Snoopy creates a cartoon vibe. Quirky and cosmopolitan Claude's audience on this side of the pond is likely to be limited, but it may well also be quite enthusiastic. (Fiction. 7-9)

Kirkus Reviews