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Summary

In the award-winning picture book, Officer Buckle and Gloria, Officer Buckle is very passionate about teaching his safety tips, but the teachers and students find them boring, boring, boring. No one pays attention at the police officer’s safety assemblies until the new police dog, Gloria, accompanies Officer Buckle. In 1996, author and illustrator Peggy Rathmann received the Randolph Caldecott Medal for picture book illustration for Officer Buckle and Gloria.

I especially recommend this very funny book for children in kindergarten through second grade.

The Story

The text of Officer Buckle and Gloria is usually told from the view of Officer Buckle, who knows more safety tips in Napville than anybody else in the town.  When he shares the safety tips with the students, he takes his work very seriously and carefully reads each tip to them. Unfortunately, his presentation is so boring that sometimes there is even the sound of snoring from the audience during his safety assemblies. 

When the police department buys a new police dog, Gloria, she becomes Officer Buckle’s partner for the safety speeches.  She looks like any other dog but proves to be an entertainer who acts out the safety tips behind Officer Buckle’s back while he is reciting them.  The children begin to sit up to listen and are soon laughing uproariously. Officer Mr. Buckle has become the straight man.  However, he doesn't know it. Whenever Officer Buckle  turns to look at Gloria, she is sitting obediently just behind him.

 

Soon Officer Buckle and his buddy are in high demand. They start getting lots of fan mail from students. Their school visits are going so well that a television crew comes to film a school safety assembly for the evening news.

That evening while watching the news, Officer Buckle sees Gloria’s antics behind his back for the first time.  As to be expected, his feelings are terribly hurt and he no longer wants to give any more speeches - especially not with Gloria.  Read Officer Buckle and Gloria to find out what happens next and how the situation is resolved.

The Illustrations

The bright yellow endpapers set the stage for safety with white, thumb-tacked stars showing Gloria acting out specific safety tips.  This is followed by a title page with an illustration of Officer Buckle hunched alone over his desk writing out safety tips.  Officer Buckle and Gloria can only be understood and enjoyed along with the colorful, cartoon-like illustrations that convey a message through subtle detail of expressions, actions, or emotions. 

At first, Gloria appears to be just a scruffy looking dog but looks deceive, and she is actually a very smart and clever dog. Even though she has no dialogue, her actions shown through the illustrations give her a unique and fun personality.  During the safety assemblies, the text gives the view of Officer Buckle, while the illustrations reveal the visually funny view of the students. 

Looking closely at Officer Buckle’s badge on his right arm, readers will notice his badge has a crossed-out banana peal.  As the story moves along, more students are wearing the same badge, symbolizing acceptance of the safety rules.  Rather than traditional rectangular illustrations, they vary in shape, size, and orientation adding to the playful and fun approach to this story.

Author and Illustrator Peggy Rathmann

Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Peggy Rathmann, was a shy, dreamy child who was often placed in the back of the classroom since she was so tall.  Because of her nearsightedness, reading from the back of the room was very difficult. Nevertheless, she enjoyed Golden Books that her mother bought at the grocery store and her two library favorites were Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton and Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. 

Peggy Rathmann began drawing at an early age, but even though her parents and siblings encouraged her to pursue a career in art, she resisted.  After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in psychology, she enrolled in a pre-med program at St. Paul’s Macalaster College.  Finally one day during a lab class, Rathmann found herself more interested in the medical illustrations than the subject matter and suddenly it occurred to her this was something she could do. 

Before winning the Caldecott Medal for Officer Buckle and Gloria, she had only illustrated three picture books: Ruby the Copycat (1991), Bootsie Barker Bites (1992), and Goodnight Gorilla (1994). Some of her later books include The Day The Babies Crawled Away and 10 Minutes till Bedtime. Today she lives and works in Nicasio, California on a ranch that she shares with her husband, John Wick, and a very funny bunch of birds.

(Publisher’s Weekly: Peggy Rathmann: Opening Doors with Pictures, Peggy Rathmann Official Site)

My Recommendation

A picture book with visually funny illustrations and a story about a dog, Gloria, and her buddy, Officer Buckle, is definitely a fun approach to encourage children to follow safety rules.  It is Gloria’s sense of humor that will have readers laughing out loud and keep the pages turning.  Throughout the book children can observe and point out the safety tip violations. They can also make their own safety tips on cut-out stars.  In addition to promoting good safety choices, Officer Buckle and Gloria can also be shared with children in kindergarten through second grade as part of a discussion about the importance of teamwork and working together. 

Whether sharing the book at home or in a classroom, talking about the feelings of Officer Buckle and Gloria may lead to children sharing some of their own experiences with hurt feelings among their social group of friends.  This Caldecott Medal winner is one of those rare picture books whose appeal and message is enjoyable and relevant today and will continue to be in the future.  Children will want to revisit this incredibly funny book again and again, and they just might remember a safety tip or two.  Especially to be remembered is Officer Buckle’s best safety tip on the final page, Safety Tip #101, “ALWAYS STICK WITH YOUR BUDDY!"  This is a book that will delight children 5 to 8, as well as some preschoolers. (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin, 1995. ISBN: 9780399226168)