Boomer's Big Day

July 1, 1994
Ages 2-7. As golden retriever Boomer awaits his customary after-breakfast walk, he comes to realize that nothing about the day is customary. Instead, confusion and chaos are everywhere. All of his household's belongings are being packed into boxes, hauled out of the house by strangers, and loaded onto a truck. Boomer himself is eventually crammed into the family van for a long and cramped ride, then finally deposited before a foreign, empty house. Elaborating on the turmoil of Boomer's day, Whyte's delightful watercolors expressively reflect the dog's emotions: there is indescribable frustration on Boomer's face when, flattened to the floor, he searches in vain under a bed for his favorite ball, and his bewilderment is evident as he gazes at the clutter surrounding the packers at work. Humorously sympathizing with the tribulations of moving, this endearing picture book will soothe the anxieties of children facing a moveespecially when Boomer quickly adapts to his new surroundings and is soon wagging his tail at new neighbors. ((Reviewed July 1994))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1994, American Library Association.)