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Officer Buckle and Gloria
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Officer Buckle and Gloria Hardback - 1995

by Peggy Rathmann

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Officer Buckle knows more about safety than anyone else in Napville, but his dull presentations put his audiences to sleep. Enter Gloria, Napville's new police dog. Gloria knows just how to liven up the safety speeches--as long as Officer Buckle's back is turned! Full color. Caldecott medal Book.

Summary


"Besides the beguiling story, the affable illustrations of the smiling Gloria, the accidental mayhem in the background, and the myriad safety tips -- such as 'always pull the toothpick out of your sandwhich' and 'never lick a stop sign in the winter' -- add to the enjoyment. A glorious picture book." -- The Horn Book "Rathmann is a quick rising star in the world of chidren's books. In this book, she again shows her flair for creating real characters, dramatic situations and for knowing what will make young audiences giggle and think." -- Children's Book Review Magazine "Rathman brings a lighter-than-air comic touch to this outstanding, solid-as-a-brick picture book." -- Publisher's Weekly "A five-star performance." -- School Library Journal

Reader reviews for Officer Buckle and Gloria

From the publisher

One of the funniest winners of the Caldecott Medal, this story of unlikely friends getting over a misunderstanding is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser.

Officer Buckle knows more about safety than anyone in the town of Napville. But whenever he tries to share his safety tips, nobody listens. Until, that is, the Napville Police Department gets a police dog named Gloria.

Unbeknownst to Officer Buckle, Gloria has her own way of demonstrating safety tips--one that makes Napville sit up and take notice! Suddenly, everyone wants to hear Officer Buckle's safety speech. "And please," people say, "bring along that police dog."

When Officer Buckle discovers he's been upstaged, he vows to give up safety tips once and for all.

Can Gloria convince her friend to return to the job he loves, or is Napville about to have its worst accident ever?

Details

  • Title Officer Buckle and Gloria
  • Author Peggy Rathmann
  • Binding Hardback
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 40
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, New York
  • Publication date 1995-09-28
  • Illustrated Yes
  • Features Dust Cover, Illustrated
  • ISBN 9780399226168 / 0399226168
  • Weight 0.86 lbs (0.39 kg)
  • Dimensions 11.36 x 8.92 x 0.36 in (28.85 x 22.66 x 0.91 cm)
  • Age range 04 to 08 years
  • Grade levels P - 3
  • Reading level 570
  • Themes
    • Theometrics: Secular
    • Topical: Friendship
  • Category Children's Books/Ages 4-8 Fiction
  • Library of Congress subjects Dogs, Police
  • Library of Congress Catalogue Number 93043887
  • Dewey Decimal Code E

Media reviews

Citations

  • ALA Notable Children's Books, 01/01/1996, Page 1288
  • Booklist, 11/01/1995, Page 471
  • Booklist Ed Choice Youth, 01/01/1996, Page 743
  • Hornbook Guide to Children, 07/01/1995, Page 42
  • Kirkus Review - Children, 08/15/1995, Page 1193
  • Publishers Weekly, 07/17/1995, Page 229
  • School Library Journal, 05/01/1998, Page 53
  • SLJ's Best Books, 12/01/1995, Page 23

About the author

Caldecott-medalist Peggy Rathmann was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in the suburbs with two brothers and two sisters.

"In the summer we lolled in plastic wading pools guzzling Kool-Aid. In the winter we sculpted giant snow animals. It was a good life."

Ms. Rathmann graduated from Mounds View High School in New Brighton, Minnesota, then attended colleges everywhere, changing her major repeatedly. She eventually earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Minnesota.

"I wanted to teach sign language to gorillas, but after taking a class in signing, I realized what I'd rather do was draw pictures of gorillas."

Ms. Rathmann studied commercial art at the American Academy in Chicago, fine art at the Atelier Lack in Minneapolis, and children's-book writing and illustration at the Otis Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles.

"I spent the first three weeks of my writing class at Otis Parsons filching characters from my classmates' stories. Finally, the teacher convinced me that even a beginning writer can create an original character if the character is driven by the writer's most secret weirdness. Eureka! A little girl with a passion for plagiarism! I didn't want anyone to know it was me, so I made the character look like my sister."

The resulting book, Ruby the Copycat, earned Ms. Rathmann the "Most Promising New Author" distinction in Publishers Weekly's 1991 annual Cuffie Awards. In 1992 she illustrated Bootsie Barker Bites for Barbara Bottner, her teacher at Otis Parsons.

A homework assignment produced an almost wordless story, Good Night, Gorilla, inspired by a childhood memory.

"When I was little, the highlight of the summer was running barefoot through the grass, in the dark, screaming. We played kick-the-can, and three-times-around-the-house, and sometimes we just stood staring into other people's picture windows, wondering what it would be like to go home to someone else's house."

That story, however, was only nineteen pages long, and everyone agreed that the ending was a dud. Two years and ten endings later, Good Night, Gorilla was published and recognized as an ALA Notable Children's Book for 1994.

The recipient of the 1996 Caldecott Medal, Officer Buckle and Gloria, is the story of a school safety officer upstaged by his canine partner.

"We have a videotape of my mother chatting in the dining room while, unnoticed by her or the cameraman, the dog is licking every poached egg on the buffet. The next scene shows the whole family at the breakfast table, complimenting my mother on the delicious poached eggs. The dog, of course, is pretending not to know what a poached egg is. The first time we watched that tape we were so shocked, we couldn't stop laughing. I suspect that videotape had a big influence on my choice of subject matter."

Ms. Rathmann lives and works in San Francisco, in an apartment she shares with her husband, John Wick, and a very funny bunch of ants.

copyright (c) 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

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Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)
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Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)

by Rathmann, Peggy

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Officer Buckle & Gloria
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Officer Buckle & Gloria

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Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)

Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)

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Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)

Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)

by Rathmann, Peggy

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)

Officer Buckle & Gloria (CALDECOTT MEDAL BOOK)

by Rathmann, Peggy

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, 1995. Hardcover. Good. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.Dust jacket quality is not guaranteed.
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Officer Buckle and Gloria
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Officer Buckle and Gloria
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Officer Buckle and Gloria

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
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Penguin Young Readers Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Officer Buckle and Gloria
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Officer Buckle and Gloria

by Rathmann, Peggy

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399226168 / 0399226168
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Description:
Penguin Young Readers Group. Used - Good. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Officer Buckle and Gloria
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Officer Buckle and Gloria

by Rathmann, Peggy

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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399226168 / 0399226168
Quantity available
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Description:
Penguin Young Readers Group. Used - Good. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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Officer Buckle and Gloria
Stock photo: cover may vary

Officer Buckle and Gloria

by Rathmann, Peggy

  • Used
Condition
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ISBN 10 / ISBN 13
9780399226168 / 0399226168
Quantity available
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Item price
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Description:
Penguin Young Readers Group. Used - Very Good. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.
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