Charlie the Ranch Dog

Charlie the Ranch Dog Picture Books

by Ree Drummond

Meet Charlie.

He's a ranch dog. Breakfast is his life, especially when bacon is involved. Charlie has dangly ears, floppy skin, and big fat paws. And he loves living in the country. That's because he works like a dog...fixing fences, gardening, and helping his family out on the range.

Yep, it's all work, all the time for Charlie the ranch dog. In fact, he's probably working right now...Zzzzzzz....

A ranch dog's work is never done!

Come along as Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, introduces us to her beloved short-legged pioneer dog named Charlie.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs, Animals, Humor, Kids, Fiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2011

About the author

Ree Drummond began blogging in 2006 and has built an award-winning website, where she shares recipes, showcases her photography, and documents her hilarious transition from city life to ranch wife. She is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling cookbook The Pioneer Woman Cooks . Ree lives on a working cattle ranch near Pawhuska, Oklahoma, with her husband, Ladd; their four kids; their beloved basset hound; and lots of other animals.

Reviews

[Tova · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Breakfast is life."
Enough said. I am Charlie!
"I prefer bacon"

[Erin Pinheiro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Now, I love the Pioneer Woman blog, but I can't get behind a book that seems to only exist for brand promotion. There's no storytelling here, just prattle about the details of the daily life of a ranch dog in the same cutesy voice that Drummond uses on her blog. I have a copy of this at the library because our centralized collection development bought it for us. One star only because the illustrations are cute.

[Sweet on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meet Charlie, the pioneer ranch dog. Charlie is the beloved pet of Ree Drummond, author of the the hugely popular blog, The Pioneer Woman. In this amusing story, Charlie narrates a typical day at the ranch with his sidekick and fellow canine, Suzie. Apparently, Suzie is in need of much guidance about what needs to be done on a ranch and Charlie's work is never done between ranching, protecting and teaching Suzie. The reality is Charlie doesn't do much but sleep and eat (especially bacon!), and Suzie does most of the work. But in Charlie's own mind he is ever busy protecting the ranch and getting things done.

The story is hilarious. Drummond's humor is very witty and dry, it kind of sneaks up on you. Kids will enjoy the funny illustrations of Charlie, Suzie and life on the ranch. The pictures are part of the humor; the text may say Charlie is busy getting up very early to start his hard work, but the picture has Charlie lounging in his dog bed. Kids will love being "in" on the joke; Charlie really only does a whole lot of napping and eating, not so much hard work. This would make a very entertaining read-aloud. See if your readers notice the adorable chipmunk that is always hanging around Charlie, even though Charlie is very busy chasing the critters away!

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie the ranch dog, shares what it's like to live and work on a ranch. Along with his up and coming protegee, Suzie, Charlie explains and shows the reader just how hard he works around the ranch to earn his room and board. There is a recipe for Lasagna at the rear of the book.

[Jenny Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!

[Kerstin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet little book written with humor and mirth.

[Books On the Ponderosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie the Ranch Dog is a cute book from the point of view of none other than Charlie, the basset hound, ranch dog. He tells about all the things "he does" on the ranch, and it'll leave your little one giggling like it does mine!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond, illustrated by Diane deGroat is
a look at the life of a hard working pioneer ranch dog, two dogs in fact, as related by Ree Drummond, known as the Pioneer Woman.

Charlie narrates a typical day at the ranch with his fellow canine Suzy. Charlie is a bassett hound and Suzie is a Jack Russell Terrier. In Charlie's mind he is constantly busy, including training Suzie. In reality, Charlie mainly sleeps and eats, with bacon his favorite food.
Charlie eventually saves the day, although he is only there because he overslept after lunch! One of my favorite lines is: "I just hope Suzie remembers to wake me up in time for dinner."

The text features Drummond' witty and dry humor. The illustrations carry the story and are often contradictory to the text. Charlie says he is very busy chasing critters away, yet the pictures show a chipmunk that shadows Charlie and actually takes naps with him. There is a lasgna recipe at the end of the book that looks tasty.

The book is cute, and the illustrations carry it. It's close to a 3.5 but I'll rate it a three.

For ages 4 to 6, independent readers, dog lovers, ranching, humor, and fans of Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, and Diane deGroat.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genre of this book is a picture book, and is intended for children who are (P) ages five to eight years old. This book is about a dog names Charlie and his friend Suzie who live on a ranch. Charlie is a bassett hound who loves to sleep and eat, and occasionally work on the ranch. But really Suzie does most of the work while Charlie relaxs. This is a very cute book that children are sure to fall in love with. Charlie, the main character, is a cute and funny pup with a huge heart. The illustrations are great, and fill up each page. The language in this book is understandable for young children, and it is a pretty easy book for a child to read on their own. Children will definately find this book to be appealing. If you do choose to read this book, and you enjoy it, Drummond is also a New York Times Bestselling Author of "The Pioneer Woman Cooks."

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Such a cute story, and my K-3 grade kids enjoyed it. I was going to do a book talk on Brian Selznick's "Wonderstruck" and share his writing process with the 4th and 5th graders (had seen him in person at a book signing where he did a presentation). I wanted to show the writing process with a book appropriate for the young ones, as well, and found Ree Drummond's blog when searching. She shares pictures of the writing process (including the work with her illustrator) and explains how she did it step by step. I showed that on the projector, watched a 1 minute video of the ranch and the real Charlie in action, and then we finished by reading the book. Quite an accident that I stumbled across it, but I'm so glad I did!

[Carol Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow Ree's blog and my absolute favorite part of it are Charlie stories and pictures. How did I not know that there was a picture book about him?!?! I was browsing the shelves at the library and it popped right out at me... when I saw the title on the spine I knew it had to be about the Charlie that I loved to follow online :-) Loved the illustrations and the run down of Charlie's day. It certainly helps that I have a lazy hound of my own! Fun read - glad I found... will definitely be adding this to my personal collection.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie, as the title so explicitly states, is a ranch dog. He's up before the sun and helps out with chores around the ranch like... sniffing, eating, and napping. Charlie likes to think he's being helpful, but really his best friend Suzy does all the heavy lifting.

I adored the illustration in this book, and I especially love how they so perfectly and lovably contradict the story Charlie is telling.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie the hound lives on a ranch, with his terrier friend, Susie. The two work hard all day, with Charlie making sure that Susie does her job right. Between meals, naps, and supervising, a ranch dog's work is never done. Hmm. Guess it's time for another nap....Zzzz. With wonderful illustrations by Diane de Groat, this picture book will tickle the funny bone of kids who understand the irony of the "hard-working" hound. Ages 3-6

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely hysterical! As the owner of a basset hound, I thought this was an amazing children's book written about basset's and their personalities. Everything in here made us laugh out loud. I think the humor in owning a basset hound was so well captured because the author is an own of a basset. They truly are a different breed, but we don't love them any less!

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my grandkids.
Though the book is written with children in mind.
It touches the adult who reads this book to children.
I may need to buy more copies to allow little fingers to touch the pages as we read it.
A good introduction to the author who is also an accomplish parent, and a culinary leader of "everyday" food on her foodtv show.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this from the library this because it was on last week's NYT bestseller list. WHY??? The story is awful, the art is below middling, and the only redeeming factor at all is the chipmunk who appears throughout the book. One of the worst books of 2011 so far, hands down.

[E.B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The pictures are cute, but I got the impression that this is just another tool to promote the PW brand. I'm glad I didn't buy the book.

[Rachel B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute illustrations. I LOVE Ree Drummond and the Pioneer Woman. This is a book I just had to buy for my library. :)

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lazy basset hound. Adorable illustrations.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet!

[Delaney Arthurs]

This book is written by Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman) and illustrated by Diane deGroat. The book is very simply worded and easy to understand for younger students. This book describes the daily life of Charlie, the ranch dog. At the beginning of the story, Suzie is introduced. She is Charlie's best friend, co ranch dog if you will. This book explains the daily responsibilities of the two ranch dogs and their relationship.

I really enjoyed this book! The pictures were so cute and truly captured the scenarios. The pages were full of emotion and detail. Through the narrative of Charlie, the book describes how Charlie and Suzie work together for the overall well being of the ranch. The book shows that working together is so much better than trying to do all the work alone. Although Suzie and Charlie perform different tasks, they both are necessary for the ranch.

I would use this book in my classroom to show the students that we should all work together. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, so if we work together we can help each other. At the end of the day, every single person on our team is very important and needed. Nobody will go unnoticed. Every student will be heard, seen, and valued. This book would be perfect for the beginning of the school year to set the scene of the classroom environment/dynamic.

[Christine Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of the hundreds(?) of books my children have on their bookshelf, one of my most favorites is "Charlie the Ranch Dog" by Ree Drummond. The book follows basset hound Charlie and his friend Suzie as they go through a typical day on the working ranch where they live. The book is filled with both irony and humor which adults and children alike can enjoy. The illustrations are brilliantly done, and include a chipmunk character whose comically sweet story takes place completely in the backdrop and adds yet another layer of fun to the book. My kids delighted in the climatic event of the story, and I often heard them excitedly yell "Daisy, NOOOOO!" while playing among themselves. From a parent's perspective, the story is one of those that won't drive you bonkers even if your children request you to read it 100 times in a row. The author concludes the book with a lasagna recipe (Charlie's favorite!), leaving the reader with a tangible, tasty way to connect with the story.

Overall, I highly recommend "Charlie the Ranch Dog" for anyone (especially Lucy's fellow basset hound fans) looking for another great children's book to add to their own collection or to give as a gift to someone else.

[Tayler Roetzel]

Summary: Charlie the Ranch Dog is a funny story about a basset hound that thinks he does a ton of hard work around the farm but in reality he is just entertaining himself and calling it work. Charlie is a sleepy, hungry, fun loving dog. Charlie thinks he is the only farm dog that knows the farm but little does he know, little Suzie is quite the work load. Although he was left behind when everyone went off to work, he stayed behind and kept Daisy the cow out of the garden. He rewarded himself with yet, another nap.

Review: This book is so fun to read and all the illustrations are so vibrant and pretty. I love how the author has depicted Charlie as this care free dog that also feels like his naps are his responsibilities. I think this is a great read for any age.

Connection to Profession: This book would be great to read to kids who are associated with farming. I enjoyed it because I was raised on a farm and I can say my dogs also competed to see who could be the better farm dog. I would love to read this to other children associated with farming. I would like to reach to all audiences.

[Charity]

Summary:
This book is about a dog named Charlie and all he does around his ranch house. He tells about everything he does to help like wake up early, get the cattle together and out of the front yard, help with the garden, and so much more. You find out very quickly that he is telling these stories while old and tired, and you can see the other dog, Suzie, is actually doing the majority of the work. This sweet hound dog is trying his best to help, and at some point, he gets left behind and does get to help while he is back at the house and everyone else is gone.

Analysis:
This is a sweet book and pretty funny on how he talks about how he does so much around the house, but he really sleeps a lot and has a hard time doing anything. I think it was an interesting story with appealing art.

Classroom ideas:
I do not think I would use this book in a classroom setting, but if I were to, I would use it as a fun read with the kids. I might be able to use it in a lesson about farm life or how even the ones of us that cannot physically do much can still help in plenty of ways.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Charlie is a basset hound that lives on a farm with his best friend, Suzie. As Charlie describes all the work he does on the ranch, the reader finds out he isn't so true to his word. As Charlie is an old-timer, he does a lot of sleeping and eating bacon. Most of the work is left for the young, frisky pup, Suzie. At the end of the story, Charlie did save the day. He kept the cows out of the garden when everyone else was away.
This would be a cute story for anyone who has a soft spot for dogs. I am more of a bunny person myself, but I absolutely loved watching the little chipmunk that followed Charlie around from page to page. The spread of Charlie and the chipmunk looking out at Suzie and the cow is my favorite! I was also very surprised to see who the author was of this book- The Pioneer Woman! My mother loves her. Literally, her whole kitchen is themed around all her items. I wasn't even aware she wrote children's books; I thought she just wrote cookbooks. Either way, I really enjoyed learning that fact!

[Morgen Puryear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie An old ranch dog is working his daily job when a younger pup is adopted into the ranch. The older dog goes about his daily jobs and finds that the younger pup who has more energy is already taking care of a lot of the jobs that Charlie likes to do. When he takes a nap and misses going back out to work he is discouraged. Charlie then discovers that in this circumstance it was better that he was home instead of out working with his family.

I liked this book because of the storyline and the pictures portrayed. When children are expecting a new sibling in the family, it can be hard for them to see that they will not be replaced. In the book the older dog was not doing as many of the jobs, he was used to doing. However, he was still needed on the ranch for a new specific job.

[Nancy Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPER COOL!!! I have been to see the pioneer woman's shop in Oklahoma so it was super neat to read a story that she had written about her dog Charlie. This children's book is about a ranch dog named Charlie who has a friend named Suzie. We learn about the daily routine of the dogs and one thing they do is keep the cow daisy out of the yard. Charlie loves to nap and he falls asleep and wonders where everyone has gone. In the end he keeps the cows from ruining the garden. The illustrations in this book were bright and filled the page nicely. I think that this book would be for if students had any extra time in class to read a book for fun.

[Mavis’s Dad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie is an old happy dog who leads us through his duties on his ranch. After a few pages, you’ll be worried this book is going to end sad. Do not be afraid; this is not Turner and Hooch.

Moral: Old dogs are the best dogs.

Length: Even though Charlie takes three naps before dinner time, the book doesn’t seem that long. Unless you slow it down with a real deliberate drawl like we did. And even that moved at a nice pace.

Favorite Line: “Oh, I must have accidentally closed my eyes for a few seconds.”

Overall impression: We adored Charlie and his tale of hard work. The illustrations will remind you of your own pup. This is a book for dog lovers by dog lovers.

[Lexi Vollebregt]

Charlie the Ranch Dog is about a ranch dog who is sharing the story of a day in his life. Charlie is a basset hound so he is very lazy but he thinks he is doing a lot of work. He is very proud of himself and all he achieves during the day.

I think that this book is absolutely adorable. It made me giggle with every page. It kept a positive theme throughout the whole book and keeps you happy.

I would use this book in my classroom if I wanted the kids to read a fun book and make them laugh. I could also use it if I was talking about ranching and what the ranchers do.

[Charlotte S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Join Charlie on the ranch for a jam-packed-filled day of napping, bacon, bacon, bacon, napping, and more bacon. (Did I forget to mention napping and bacon?!) But wait! Hold the naps! What's that in the garden?! Help Charlie protect the garden in this awesome book! There's even a lasagna recipe in the back of it! (I haven't tried it yet, but it sure looks yummy!) Charlie the Ranch Dog is so cute, and his books are amazing. We own probably every one of them! Thank you for reading! Follow @bronteandwilder on Instagram for more fun book recommendations!