Module 3: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann gives good advice about safety and about the importance of having good friends.

Summary
A police officer with a penchant for safety advice gives tips to school kids, which they find dull and uninteresting.  Their lack of focus on following his tips results in many accidents and injuries.  But, when a new police dog starts joining him in his presentations, everyone suddenly shows great interest in everything he is saying.  He gains a reputation and even the national spotlight and the students and teachers avoid mishaps because they follow his valuable advice.

What the officer does not realize is that they are paying attention to him because of the police dog, Gloria.  She faithfully stands beside him while he speaks, but when he isn’t looking, she is acting out all of the consequences of not following his safety advice. Her hilarious antics captivate students and teachers alike.  When Officer Buckle discovers why his safety tips have become so popular, he feels sorry for himself and refuses to continue.

Gloria goes to schools alone, but without Officer Buckle, she does not perform.  In the end, they find that they work best as a team.

Impressions 

Peggy Rathmann has crafted a fantastic story that emphasizes that everyone has strengths, but sometimes working with a friend can bring out the best.  Her bright pictures are colorful and busy.  The characters are lovable.  Young students will enjoy that they know something that Officer Buckle does not throughout much of the book.  They will delight in seeing Gloria’s funny maneuvers, and will be happy to remember their favorite safety tips from the story.

Rathmann makes clever use of names like Mrs. Toppel, the principal who falls off of a swivel chair, and the school ‘Napville’ where the students fall asleep during a program.  Students can look for details throughout the story such as the repeated use of a star theme.  Aside from the obvious lessons about following safety procedures, students can learn lessons about being kind to animals, pride, humility, forgiveness, and friendship.  It is a simple story that can make a big impact.

Professional Reviews

Rathmann (Good Night, Gorilla) brings a lighter-than-air comic touch to this outstanding, solid-as-a-brick picture book. Officer Buckle, a mustachioed policeman who wears a crossed-out-banana-peel patch on his sleeve, has a passion for teaching students about safety, but his audiences tend to doze off during his lectures. They awaken, however, when police dog Gloria joins Buckle onstage. As Buckle speaks, Gloria-behind Buckle's back-mimes each safety lesson (e.g., leaping sky-high for ``Never leave a thumbtack where you might sit on it!'' and making her fur stand on end to illustrate ``Do not go swimming during electrical storms!''). School safety increases tenfold and Buckle and Gloria find themselves in great demand. But when he finally learns of his sidekick's secret sideshow, Buckle's feelings are terribly hurt. Rathmann's high-voltage cartoons, outlined in black ink for punchy contrast, capture her characters' every feeling, from Gloria's hammy glee and Buckle's surprised satisfaction to Gloria's shame at having tricked her partner. In a sound and sensitive conclusion, Gloria's disastrous attempt to go solo inspires Buckle's ``best safety tip yet'': ``Always stick with your buddy!'' As a bonus, equally sage sayings decorate the volume's endpapers. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

Publisher’s Weekly, 1995

The arrival of Officer Buckle and Gloria on the publishing scene was like a breath of fresh air. Peggy Rathmann took what could have been a message-heavy book on safety measures and instead spun it into fodder for Gloria the dog's hilarious antics. Noteworthy is the smooth integration of a police officer, a dog, and classrooms of children in a chuckle-filled story with lively illustrations, which, in winning the 1996 Caldecott Medal, ended a string of serious-minded titles for older readers and returned the medal to children of picture-book age.

Elleman, 2011

Library Uses

This would be a perfect book to read with a certified reading companion animal who is visiting the library.  It would also be a great introduction for a police officer to come and talk with children about safety.  Additionally, it could precede a writing activity where kids wrote their own safety tips on star shaped paper for a library display.

References

Elleman, B. (2011, 03). Officer Buckle and Gloria. Book Links, 20, 34. Retrieved from

    http://search.proquest.com/docview/859258145?accountid=7113

Officer Buckle and Gloria. (1995). Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from

    http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-399-22616-8 - sept 1995

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