Officer Buckle and Gloria
Author & Illustrator: Peggy Rathmann
Publisher: Scholastic
Year of Publication: 1995
Genre: Fiction
Horn Book or Kirkus Reviews rating: 1
Summary: Officer Buckle tries and tries to lay down the rules, but the only way the children will listen is if Gloria helps.
Summary of Professional Reviews: The Kirkus review states that Officer Buckle and Gloria had definite child appeal. This book is about an officer, Officer Buckle, and his boring safety talks. Then he decided to bring the new department dog with him, Gloria. He turns out to be a hit, but later on finds that it was Gloria that had been making the kids pay attention. They both realize that they can not do it alone and The two reunite and come up with the best safety lesson of all: "Always stick with your buddy!"
Review by Katie: Officer Buckle and Gloria is a wonderful story with great illustrations. The illustrations do a great job of matching the text and over-exaggerating the point to make the reader laugh. The storyline of Officer Buckle being a boring safety cop saved by his funny cop dog, Gloria, keeps the audience interested. They make a great team while teaching children rules, and they discover their most important safety rule of all, "Always stick with your buddy!"
Officer Buckle and Gloria can be useful when teaching rules to and elementary classroom during the first week of class.