Chick 'n' Pug The Love Pug

Chick 'n' Pug

by Jennifer Sattler

Paperback

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Animals, Childrens, Love, Friendship, Humor

Paperback

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Jennifer Sattler is the author and illustrator of several picture books including Sylvie, Chick 'n' Pug, Pig Kahuna, Chick 'n' Pug Meet the Dude, Uh-oh, Dodo!, and her latest, Pig Kahuna Pirates. After several years of teaching college students, she realized that her "inner goofball" needed to come out. Once she started making books for children, she was hooked. "I really am a 5-year old at heart," she says. "These are my people!"

Reviews

[Sarah]

"After all, sometimes love makes you sleepy."--Jennifer Sattler

[LaDonna]

I read kid books for a living. So, it was not surprising that I would pick Chick 'n' Pug The Love Pug for a classroom Valentine read. The cover art alone caught my attention. And, kudos to Jennifer Sattler. She definitely knows her audience. My K students really seemed to enjoy the book.

I on the other hand thought that it was just meh. I just do not feel like I can recommend it. There are just soooo many options out there. What I can suggest is that when you exhaust all others, then come back to this one.

But, I am far from 5 or 6 years old. What do I know?

[April]

I ran across this picture book today, really only grabbing it because of the title. The illustrations are adorable. It reminded me of Cyrano, but in an odd way. Definitely a cute read.

[Liz Todd]

I thought this one was hard to follow.. just missing something. Pictures are cute, but hard to understand, I thought. What is Chick's motivation for making Pug fall in love? I just didn't get it.

[Kathy Davie]

A story in the Chick 'n' Pug children's picture book series and revolving around a baby chick fascinated by Pug.

My Take
Oh, yeah, lol. That first picture of the story tells you who Pug is — content to lie in the grass on his back, his arms spread, a smile on his face. Then there's Chick on a blanket, reading his magazine, and wearing sunglasses. Yep, the laidback, easygoing Pug versus the have-it-all Chick.

Hmmm, it's pretty impressive that Pug's owner heels can click on grass.

Goodness knows it was an exhausting day for Daisy and Chick with Daisy desperate to attract Pug's attention as Chick heaped praise on Pug. But 'twas a bee that "saved the day" for young Pug and wore them all out!

It's a good thing that The Love Pug uses a third-person objective point-of-view, so we know the facts, ma'am without any of the characters' thoughts, opinions, or feelings coloring how we see everyone.

I'm not sure what the theme is. Daisy is the girl who has to capture a boy's attention. Chick is the naive hero-worshipping chick who views his world through rose-colored glasses. Pug is content to sleep the day away and has no ambitions. And it all makes for a funny set of interactions amongst the three.

The Story
Puppy love is in the air! For a new pug named Daisy comes along and sets her sights on the very handsome, very brave Wonder Pug.

Chick agrees: every great hero needs a fair maiden by his side. Could Pug be Daisy's knight in shining armor? Maybe, if he ever wakes up from his nap …

The Characters
Chick is an enthusiastic little chicken who aspires to adventure while he views his friend Pug, as Pug the Wonder Dog! A Pug who prefers to sleep his days away. Pug's owner is a woman of whom we usually see only her calves and shoes.

The flirtatious Daisy is a cute little black pug who's come to visit.

The Cover and Title
The cover is all about the love with its colored pencil pink sky and soft grass in a range of greens and orange. Those little black hearts arching over Daisy (the dark pug in her deep pink ribbon and heart pendant on her matching collar) and the fawn-colored Pug help too. Naturally the bright yellow Chick is doing his happy dance in front of them, lol. The series information is at the top in deep lilac. The title is a deep red-violet bordered by a metallic pink and outlined in white while the author's name is in white at the bottom.

I'm not sure if the title refers to Daisy who wants that love or Chick eager to give the love. Whichever it is, it's all about The Love Pug.

[Samantha]

It was a cute story. I love the artwork!!!

[Jtimko]

Chick and Pug are napping when they are visited by a new neighbor- Daisy the Pug. Pug is un-impressed but Chick will do anything to get Daisy’s attention!
If you have any of the previous books in the Chick ‘n’ Pug series you have to purchase this one too. Droll humor abounds as Chick tries to impress Daisy in the name of Pug. Turns out Daisy saves Pug and the three agree the “Love makes you sleepy”. Colorful bright artwork done in acrylics and colored pencil bring this book to life. The expressions of the characters are priceless. The story is simple enough to comprehend yet enjoy. Fans of the Chick ‘n’ Pug series will love this new addition. Recommended for grade Pre-K through 2.

[Tess]

Such drivel. It doesn't make sense. Maybe if I had the other books with Chick 'n Pug it would make a little more sense?
My 5 year old daughter got it as a Valentine's Day book from school, and she likes it. So, good for kids but not entertaining for adults.

[Megan]

This just doesn't do it for me.

[Brittany]

This one really disappointed me. My expectations were set pretty high though.

[Gabrielle Stoller]

Another Valentine's book that was just okay.

I have not read any of the other Chick 'n' Pug books. And I am on the fence if I want to or not. They are quite humorous. (The plot in this one being that Daisy....a girl pug....comes on the scene and falls in love with Pug. Only he isn't super interested. So Chick tries to fix that.). By the end, you can imagine how everything fares.

Pug did not come across as likable, which is a huge issue I have in reading this book. I tried it in two different storytimes and the humor was lost on the children. What they did, enjoy, however, was the illustrations. That is what would incline me to pick up another Chick 'n' Pug book.

[Shan]

So cute and a perfect book for Valentine's Day...or anytime! All of the characters have clear personalities and intentions that are easy for kids to recognize and latch onto, helping them learn about literary elements while getting a super fun story at the same time. The illustrations were also colored very beautifully, and the pugs were super cute, as real pugs are.
The only thing that didn't really work for me was the conclusion. It felt like the story came to a super quick conclusion without much development. However, this won't matter a whole lot to younger kids reading this book. Regardless, it's still a heartwarming and funny story.

[Elizabeth E.]

Eh-a girl trying to get the attention of a boy who is NOT interested in her. He sleeps all the time, the chick keeps talking up the boy dog who shows little or no interest. Meanwhile, the girl dog drops hints “I wish someone would give me flowers” and does her best to get noticed. She finally joins him in napping as that’s literally all he wanted to do.

This is not a message I want to sit here and repeat to my little one. Maybe adults or pug lovers might find this cute, but I found it to be a little cringe for kids.

[Amanda Harrison]

Ok, so I guess you could read this as a commentary about the fair damsel who wishes to win a handsome prince, no pug, but then ultimately saves the pug herself, winning his heart? I guess. I don't know it just fell flat for me, the girl is trying too hard and it just made me want to cringe. You can do better, Miss Daisy!

[Catherine]

This book hold no appeal to me, yet I am sure my first grade students will love it. They may even already be familiar with the characters. The story is cute and funny in a 6 year old way. I may use it as a listening center selection at school - the students get to enjoy it, but I don't have to read it. Seems like a great compromise.

[Rachel Crowe]

This book was very colorful and very cute. It's about two pugs that like each other and it tells about the things that the boy pug is trying to do to impress his little lady friend. I would read this to my children because you always have those little kids that have little crushes.

[Darian - Books With A Chance]

This story is so cute and funny. My son loved the pictures, he just kept flipping through them on his own. But I had a laugh when Pug’s number 1 priority was napping. Chick is also the perfect little “wingman” as he was talking about how heroic and amazing Pug is to Daisy.

[Christine]

Pug-dorable!

[Amanda]

Can Daisy capture Pug's attention?? An adorable book about two little dogs and their birdy friend!

[Lynda]

Funny little book about love and a lazy Pug, his energetic chick friend and special visitor.

[Trish]

This is about when Pug and Chick meet a new dog.

[April]

3.5 stars... at least glad to see the girl was the hero in the end.

[Escape Into Fiction]

3.5 stars glad to see the girl as the hero in the end.

[Lara Bate]

The Love Pug is about a dog named Daisy who falls in love with another pug. The male pug has no interest in her but in the end they end up snuggling up to each other.

[Lindsay Lodge]

This one lost me after the first sentence. I just didn't get it.

[Nelle]

Cute story. As a pug mom, I love the adorable pictures!

[Jennifer Holcomb]

The illustrations are adorable, but the story makes no sense. Unfortunately, Maddie (4) loves this book, so I have to read it several times a week. It makes me irrationally angry.

[Anna]

I enjoyed the cute story. It has wonderful illustrations and the pugs are so cute! It's basically about Daisy, the pug, trying to get the other pug's attention.

[Maddie Stephens]

I think this book is so cute! This is about a cute love story between two pugs! I will have this book in my future classroom!

[Cristy Mendez]

This is a great book for the classroom around valentines day. It is a funny story about a pug and a woman pug who falls in love with him.