New Tricks I Can Do

Source: amazon.com via TheFishie's on Pinterest

New Tricks I Can Do by Robert Lopshire is part of the Beginner Books series cofounded by Dr. Seuss. I was surprised to realize that this was written and illustrated by someone other than Dr. Seuss as the illustrations and style are quite similar. Actually, only main character Spot is similar in appearance. The boy and girl who attempt to cheer up the dejected Spot look extremely dated even though this was written in 1996. Publishers' Weekly describes the kids as looking as though they stepped out of a '50s primer which is quite accurate. Anyway, Spot is unhappy because he's just been kicked out of the circus because he'd become a has-been. After the kids express interest in learning what else he can do, Spot goes through a bunch of chameleon-like changes to show the kids (and ultimately the circus) how versatile a performer he is. Though I found the look of his book most unappealing, the rhyming scheme, like Dr. Seuss books, is quite good as is the story. Recommended as a read-aloud for ages 4 and up and for readers grades 1-3.

Source: Library Book