Tales of Zoftic Book Reviews

"This is a warm and wonderful book that will steal your heart! Zoftic (a black Labrador) has wonderful adventures with her pals and her master, and it is amazing that it is all written in rhyme. Whether you are a reader or listener this book will make you laugh and cry. A great book for parents to read with their children for both to enjoy." Emma

"Rich in vocabulary." Debbie, Media Specialist Middle School

"The store is charming and uniquely told in rhyme which is difficult to do without
sounding forced." Janeen

"It is a real sweet story about family love and a loving pet. I initially thought that it would be kind of cheesy to write a full book in rhyme, but I was really impressed." Karen

“The main character of this charming book is Zoftic, a loveable Labrador totally devoted to her Master -- "how much she cared to see him smile, to see his eyes light up awhile." The rhyme and iambic rhythm which is maintained throughout the story would be very appealing to children who delight in sound, particularly alliteration and assonance which are also used to great effect: Zoftic's friend Zeke is "a Doxie with a lot of moxie" whose plight is both "desperate and dire." Macvicar, the author, creates many amusing images which a child can easily visualize, as when Zoftic, plunged in bath bubbles, "slippery body sliding round" causes his Master to smile by "licking the suds upon his nose, upon his hair, his cheeks, his clothes." Such delight in pets is something that will resonate with kids, as will Zoftic's anxiety when his Master brings home a woman he is considering to marry: "Jealousy rules heart and head; A woman in my Master's bed!" A child can easily relate to this fear of being displaced by the arrival of a new family member, usually a baby. Moreover, kids like repetition and the author uses this musical refrain at the beginning and end of chapters: "Zoftic up, Zoftic down; Zoftic all around the town." There are so many sweet moments in this book, as when Zoftic is curled up in a ball in the back seat of the car, ecstatic to be included in a honeymoon to a "romantic secret place" with Master and Helen, his new bride And in the next chapter when Helen brings home a bundle, the canine's nose "twitches from each ebb and flow, from scents that come from down below;" and later, "Zoftic up, Zoftic down, Zoftic all around the town. Prancing happily beside, A stroller with a son inside." There are other cute episodes as when Zoftic herself falls in love with Winner, a Shepherd, and Helen spritzes Zoftic with perfume for her wedding night, following a ceremony complete with a white bridal wreath of little roses placed on Zoft's soft ears as well as a family celebration dinner. In addition to these endearing creatures and their adventures, this book also provides a means for a child to comprehend the life cycle, as both Zoftic and Winner grow old along with Master and Helen; and with their passing, life goes on. The litter of puppies that Winner sired with Zoftic is cared for by Master and Helen's little boy who has grown up to adulthood. I love the sentiment expressed at the end; Tater Pie, "the very first pick of the litter"..."has Zoftic's nose, And also looks very close... to Zoftic in her body shape. But there is Winner in the nape of her neck and Shepherd fur. She is the best of him and her."

This is not only a great book for reading aloud as the poetic quality of the lines becomes musical, but is replete with new vocabulary: murky, bliss, commiserate, jaunt, din, eject, obligation, prancing, perpetrators, enchanted, extravagance. Your child will love this book.

Note: Zofteg is a German word of endearment for a female - like "honey" or "dear." The author changed the German "teg" sound to the American English "tic" for the purposes of rhyme.” Books that Transport to Other Places; Reviews of Books Too Good to Miss, 2017 by Donna DeLeo Bruno.