Officer Buckle and Gloria
Rathmann, P. (1995). Officer Buckle and Gloria. New York: Putnam's.

Genre: fiction children's literature
Age: K-5th grade

Summary: Officer Buckle and Gloria is an entertaining story about a dog, Gloria, and her partner Officer Buckle.  Officer Buckle is a police officer that is very knowledgeable about rules.  He knows more rules than anyone in the city of Napville. When giving presentations, his audience never listens and gets bored by his rules.  When he receives a police dog, all of this suddenly changes.  Officer Buckle does not know why; behind his back, Gloria brings his speeches to life by acting out various moves to his safety tips.  When he realizes what Gloria is doing, he gets upset and embarrassed that no one is listening to him.  In the end, Officer Buckle learns the importance of working together and friendship when he discovers that his presentations would not be the same without both of the members, Gloria and him!

Reflection: This story is a humorous story and would not be the same without its’ incredible illustrations.  The illustrations are done in vivid, bright colors with cartoon-like animations.  The illustrations truly bring the story to life and create a humorous mood because of the expressions and intricate details of Gloria, Officer Buckle, and the audiences when they are presenting safety tips.  My favorite illustration is the one when Officer Buckle is watching his presentation on the news and discovers the tricks that Gloria is doing in the background.  You can feel his emotions from the way that Rathman drew his facial expressions and you can tell that Gloria knows she is in trouble because of her sideways glance at Officer Buckle astonished!