by Sam Juliano
The last time a picture book featured a take-charge dog was a few years ago when Jon Agee’s irreverent It’s Only Stanley introduced us to the most intrepid and resourceful canine children’s literature has yet seen. But while that comedic space-fantasy showcased an animal inherently gifted in handyman mode, the pink poodle in the titular Nanny Paws fosters domestic anarchy in the responsibilities of caring for a family’s young twin daughters Allie and Mae via a series of episodes underlined by unabated mischievous exuberance. Nanny Paws rarely plays by the rules, but in her own dysfunctional manner, she gets things done. But as veteran West Coast-based author-illustrator Wendy Wahman confirms in a series of idiosyncratic vignettes, one doesn’t necessarily have to play by the rules of a human to achieve success in completing tasks. While pre-schoolers with a dog in the house might be tempted to encourage Nanny Paw’s unorthodox behavior, older kids will gleefully connect with the playful insubordination, which sure beats doing things by the book. After all, wouldn’t it be far more fun to defy the norm and turn everything upside down?
Wahman brings her special brand of illustrative mayhem to the fore via supple use of pencil and watercolor with digital enhancement and her favorite color is pink, which is announced in hard-core terms on the end papers and sustained throughout in the figure of the book’s undaunted protagonist. The spirited tale launches with an early morning bedroom depiction where Nanny Paws peaks around the door to eye her two charges, fast asleep and clinging to fondly regarded stuffed bears, one a doctor and the other a basketball player. The place is a veritable comfort zone, with floral decor and heart decals with the children’s’ names on the inside of the door. Wahman flashes back to the previous Tuesday when Nanny Paws woke the twins in a scenario that delighted Mae, but disgruntled Ally, though in a subsequent tumble both are receptive to her unique method of washing their faces. Helping them get dressed turns in a tug of war with a sock and breakfast preparation includes Nanny’s personalized cookie jar maneuvering, where she manages to chomp her own way to the spoils. With a scattering Chomp, Slurp, Crunch! the table is cleared and this tenacious pink poodle “bags” their lunches as the author announces to readers: Good morning, Nanny Paws! (more…)