Module 6 - Dear Mrs.LaRue: Letters from Obedience School

Book
Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School
Written and illustrated by Mark Teague

Citation
Teague, M. (2002). Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letter from obedience school. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Summary
Dear Mrs. LaRue is the tale of Ike, the dog, and his terrible time at obedience school. Ike's perspective on the events that landed him at obedience school and that happen while in obedience school are depicted in illustration form with sharp contrast showing through his letters home to his owner. Upon his escape from obedience school, things get a bit harrier, ending in a well-staged rescue!

Reviews
Kirkus Review (August 1, 2002): An epistolary picture book detailing the misadventures of a very imaginative dog at obedience school. Ike the terrier is a reluctant student at the Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy, and sends daily letters home describing the tortures he's undergoing at school: "Needless to say, I am being horribly mistreated. You say I should be patient and accept that I'll be here through the term. Are you aware that the term lasts TWO MONTHS? Do you know how long that is in dog years?" In a series of inspired double-page spreads, the bright acrylic illustrations depict Ike scrivening away in the plushest possible surroundings, while he imagines (appropriately enough in black-and-white) what he describes. As Ike complains about the food, the reader sees him seated at a table covered in a white tablecloth and decorated with roses; his fevered imagination, however, conjures up a vision of a burly, tattooed cook standing over a cauldron and pointing at a sign that says "No howling, biting, scratching, growling, slobbering, or barking, and no seconds!" as Ike, prison-stripe-clad, forlornly holds up his dog dish. The concept is fun, but it's a one-note joke that depends on a highly developed sense of irony to appreciate. Teague's first offering as author/illustrator since One Halloween Night (1999) demonstrates a mastery of illustration without an accompanying command of textual narration; the overlong text bogs down as the reader attempts to figure out what's really going on: does Ike really want to go back home? does he really believe what he describes? is he simply trying to make Mrs. LaRue feel guilty? The work as a whole is energetic but ultimately fails to follow through on a promising concept. (Picture book. 6-9)

Publisher's Weekly (July 22, 2002): A dog's life is hardly to be envied if one believes the words of Ike, a rambunctious pooch sentenced to obedience school by his exasperated owner, Mrs. LaRue. Having repeatedly terrorized the neighbors' cats and snatched one snack too many from the kitchen counter, Ike finds himself enrolled at Igor Brotweiler Canine Academy. The hero begins a clever letter-writing campaign to Mrs. LaRue that paints a grim (and hopefully guilt-inducing) picture of his Brotweiler experience. But readers are privy to the hilarious truth. Teague (How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?) depicts the pampered pup at the spa-like academy in brightly colored vignettes, juxtaposed with black-and-white prison-like scenes that illustrate Ike's imagined hardship. He composes his correspondence with dramatic flair, whether describing his "inmate" experience ("The guards here are all caught up in this `good dog, bad dog' thing") or reflecting on his misdeeds back at home ("Were the neighbors really complaining about my howling?... Let's recall that these are the same neighbors who are constantly waking me up in the middle of the afternoon with their loud vacuuming").Throughout, the devilish laughs are in the details (waiters in white coats serving academy dogs gourmet meals and frozen drinks; Ike's images of a hard life in striped prison garb plus ball-and-chain). Even the duo's reunion (to much fanfare) plays off of an earlier joke. All in all, a tail-wagger of a book that will have readers howling with amusement. Ages 5-8

Suggested Use
This book is perfect for teaching writing students the art of voice and perspective. Because of the irony in Ike's letters and what the illustrations depict is actually happening at obedience school, teachers can show students how writing with irony and voice can make their own stories that much more appealing and readable.


Impression
Who doesn't love a good story full of odd perspective and hilarious irony? I think the black and white illustrations of Ike's perspective in contrast to the full-color illustrations of what is seemingly really happening make this book a winner. I was, to be honest, a bit disappointed in the ending, as it seemed to end abruptly. I would have appreciated more of conflict resolution between the neighbor's cats and their complaints of Ike's howling in addition to the ending mentioned in the book.