A Day in the Life of Murphy

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Caldecott Medalist Alice Provensen shows how one farm pooch named Murphy spends his day in this quick-paced, effervescent picture book.

Thinking that his name is "Murphy-Stop-That," the zippy little terrier describes his day as it goes along, always occupied with what's in front of him. Like most dogs, Murphy spends his time snooping around and salivating over food ("Where's the pan? The pan first. Leftovers. Scraps"), with daily highlights of chasing "that dumb cat named Tom" and thinking about "Meat loaf baking. Chicken roasting. Pies spilling over!" Murphy also takes a trip to the vet, where he gets "Pinched...poked... prodded. Doesn't hurt, but get me out of here!" and when the moon comes out that night, Murphy winds up his busy day (after some loud barking that wakes everyone up) with his "Dear sock. Good old bone. Good old stick. Sigh. Good night."

Full of mischief and high energy, Murphy will keep animal lovers giggling. Provensen captures dogs' spirited antics wonderfully, with short, energetic sentences and silly facial expressions that make Murphy a pooch that can speak for all pooches. A howling, fun read for storytime audiences and young readers, too. Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

Murphy, a farm terrier, describes a day in his life as he gets fed in the kitchen, hunts mice, goes to the vet, returns to the house for dinner, investigates a noise outside, and retires to the barn for sleep.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

He's a bad dog, but you have to love him.

What a day for Murphy, a terrier who hears people yell "Murphy, stop that!" so often, he believes that's what he's called. He wakes up in the barn -- he'd like to sleep in the house, but he barks too much -- scrounges for food, gets taken to the vet, and generally gets into trouble. He's scruffy and incorrigible -- but he's certainly lovable. Caldecott Award-winning illustrator Alice Provensen's endearing terrier will charm young readers, whether they're dog lovers or not.

FROM THE CRITICS

The New York Times

What is so refreshing about Alice Provensen's book A Day in the Life of Murphy is the scruffiness of the title character. Murphy may speak in the first person, taking us through the events of his day, but we'd never mistake him for a person in a dog suit. As we watch him raid the pantry, or endure a visit to the vet, or yap at the moon, we can almost smell him, and he smells canine, which in the antiseptic world of picture books is high praise indeed. — Roderick Townley

Publishers Weekly

In this clever canine caper, Caldecott Medalist Provensen (The Glorious Flight) introduces an irrepressibly rambunctious-and chatty-narrator. Actually, he introduces himself: "Murphy-Stop-That is my name. I am a terrier. I bark./ I bark at anything and everything and all the time./ I sleep in a barn with a dumb cat and a dumb hound,/ and a lot of other dumb farm animals." In a perky, stream-of-consciousness monologue, the pooch describes his daily doings, beginning with scouring the kitchen for bits of breakfast ("Leftovers. Scraps./ The floor! The floor. Nose over every inch"). Provensen's animated oil paintings, filled with playful particulars, follow a kind of time-lapse progression as the hero enters the house through the doggy door and follows various scents until he's shooed back out the way he came, with the assistance of a broom. After licking the leaky pipe under the kitchen sink and savoring the stove's "glorious sounds and smells," Murphy hears honking outside, beckoning him for a car trip. Alas, the pet dislikes both the ride ("Snivel./ Grumble./ Groan./ Are we there yet?") and the destination-the vet ("Oh-oh, it's my turn to be/ pinched poked prodded. Doesn't hurt, but get me out of here!"). A spread of the waiting room depicts an array of furry friends from pups to elderly dogs to a wary-looking cat. Provensen's animated oil paintings follow the amiable, wide-eyed dog through the ups and downs of his day, which ends on a pleasant, predictably noisy note. Ages 3-7. (May) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Sally J. K. Davies

The author of this book has managed to crawl into the mind of an impish little dog named Murphy who lives with his human family on a farm in the country. The entire text is all Murphy's thoughts with an occasional word from his owner to stop barking! Murphy knows how to beg properly at the table and not get caught. He knows where the food bag is kept and how to steal a bite to eat. He gets nauseous on car rides and is in terror during his vet visit. The illustrations are folksy and whimsical. Young readers will delight in and empathize with all the antics that Murphy gets into during his day. 2003, Simon & Schuster, Ages 3 to 6.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-A bristle-haired terrier recounts his routine, which includes barking, bustling from place to place, eating, sniffing, and, of course, more barking. The stream-of-doggy-consciousness narration is matched by equally amusing and energetic paintings. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews