The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder by Peter Brown, Peter Brown (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

When Chowder goes off to the Fabu Pooch Boot Camp, as usual he just doesn't fit in. Chowder tries his best, but his attempts to make himself more fabulous all fall flat. When the First Annual Fabu Pooch Pageant is announced, Chowder anxiously tries to think of a way to stand out. After all, the prize is a one-year supply of Snarf Snacks!

Some pups practice their pearly grins, other hounds get massages to relax. One pooch even gets permed! But Chowder finds his calling when he discovers a trampoline. He leaps, he flips, he bounces, and he wows the crowd!

Children's Literature

The previous book about Chowder clearly established that he is nothing like your ordinary bulldog. In this adventure that point is reinforced as Chowder's hip young owners/parents, the Wubbingtons, are eager to fulfill his wish to attend the Fabu Pooch Boot Camp, where beautiful dogs are turned into fabulous ones. Chowder soon realizes that doggy perms and flossing will never allow his stocky bulldog body to approach the chic elegance of his fellow campers. Chowder is not phased, because he takes Mrs Shirley Fabu's advice to follow his dreams and develops a trampoline act that is nothing short of fabulous. Peter Brown's distinctive acrylic illustrations that play up the elegant pretentiousness of pugs and poodles reinforce the clear moral: the most important way to succeed is to follow your dreams and be yourself. Young children who love dogs and bouncing will enjoy the story, while their parents are likely to be engaged and amused by the genial satire of the back story.

Kirkus Reviews

That wacky but winsome bulldog named Chowder is back for another attempt to connect with other canines, this time at the Fabu Pooch Boot Camp, a sleep-away camp for pampered pooches who are already beautiful and well-behaved but still working on improving their "fabulousness." The rambunctious Chowder does not fit in with this sedate group, especially when the competitive canine crowd begins to prepare for a "pooch pageant." Chowder finds an unused trampoline and perfects a routine that wins him a special place at the camp and a job as the bouncing "spokesdoggy" for a dog-treat company. Brown's surrealistic illustration style includes exaggerated perspectives, muted shades of acid green and lavender, slightly spooky shadows and creative type treatments. His tongue-in-cheek humor introduces dogs who floss their teeth and visit the chiropractor, as well as Ms. Fabu the camp director in her flashy cocktail dress and cat-eye sunglasses. Chowder's oddly endearing attempts to connect with others of his own kind have a certain appeal for those who love an underdog. (Picture book. 4-8)

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