Sherman Crunchley

Sherman Crunchley is a hilarious story about a dog whose family members have been the chief of police for generations. His father is getting ready to retire and expects Sherman to take his place, but Sherman can't tell his father that he secretly does not want to be the chief of police, since Sherman can't say no to anyone. He goes through many hilarious escapades to teach himself how to say no, including hypnosis, but he just can't learn how to tell his father he doesn't want to be chief. I loved the creative solution to his problem! I remember this book from when I was little, but I don't think we have it anymore, so I bought it for my little sister because who doesn't like Sherman Crunchley?

Police officer and beagle Sherman Crunchley is just not suited for law enforcement. He's much too nice and unassertive, and so he has a dilemma on his unsharpened claws: He will inherit the position of police chief--passed down through his family like an heirloom--upon the approaching retirement of his father. Sherman's clearly unsuited for the job: he won't give tickets, and seems oblivious to the crimes of Biscuit City, a small town populated only by dogs. However, Sherman is afraid he'll disappoint his dad that his calling is collecting hats-not taking a bite out of crime. The unassertive Sherman needs to tell his dad, somehow. He turns to how-to books at the library, on TV ads, and, most humorously, from a small canine hypnotist. None of these schemes works. When Professor Hamboni trains him to say, "No, I don't want to be the chief of police!" Sherman repeatedly shows that he is a poor candidate for hypnotism. Leaving his trance, Sherman enthusiastically flubs his line: "I don't want to be the chief of fleas!" "I don't want to be the chief of slow geese!" "I don't want to be the beef or the cheese!" Sherman does what all young pups all taught: He uses his words. In this case, that means spelling out his message, one letter on each party hat worn at his father's retirement fete. His father gets the message, and two happy surprises conclude the book: Dad wants to stay on the job, but had his own problem-he didn't want to disappoint Sherman. Even better, Sherman opens his own hat store, where his difficulty in saying "yes' endears him to his many customers. "Sherman Crunchley," beginning with the title, is a humorous but ultimately somewhat contrived book. The device of the hat telegraphs the ending, and seems pasted on as a convenient solution. Why would a dog like hats? The book is episodic and jokey, but at least they're good jokes, and young ones will especially like--and perhaps relate to--Sherman's cleverly imagined but repeatedly failed attempts. In an interesting twist, veteran author Laura Numeroff ("If You Give a Mouse a Cookie") and Nate Evans take a chance by directly addressing their audience with the phrase "you get the idea," as in "His great-great-great (you get the idea) grandfather was the first ever police chief in Biscuit City. Unfortunately, the device wears thin; it would have lasted longer had Numeroff and Evans really, really, really, really, really exaggerated the repetition. Although the story doesn't flow as smoothly as it might have, the jokes and wonderful big-faced pictures of dogs by illustrator Tim Bowers is enjoyable and could prompt some discussion about how to talk about things you'd rather not talk about, and "Woof!" is not an option.

This book is so wonderful. It is the first book my 7 year old, almost second grader has really "read". We have struggled. His principal told me, when you find a book he is interested in, he will read. I found it! I could have fainted when he was just reading along, all the words he normally struggles with. Not just reading either. He was throughly enjoying this book. The part about Hamboni, cracked us both up. Thank-you for writing this book. It has brought us to a bridge I thought was unreachable. Heartfelt thanks to the writer and illustrator. Christopher's Mom

This gentle story is creatively unique, full of life lessons charmingly presented and illustrated. A parent or teacher could use Sherman Crunchley as a "cute fun story" or as a book to read to a school class for "hat day". A parent or teacher could also go deeply into the book, discussing Sherman's problem solving process, the topic of being true to one's self, the use of personal interests for choosing a career, creativeness and more. I wouldn't hesitate to use it with young children, teens or adults. In fact, I have used it for my community college class, "You Can Teach Someone to Read". The life lessons are that pertinent and the story is that delightful. Written by Lorraine Peoples, author of award-winning book, YOU CAN TEACH SOMEONE TO READ.