Gaston (Gaston and Friends)

Sweet thoughtful and deep. I had know idea that this was more than a story about a sweet dog until I read it. It carries a message of acceptance and love for being unique in a family. And this message is imparted clearly but gently. It would be a lovely book for an adoptive family or a stepfamily. My 6 year old loves it for the humor and sweet drawings so it is also just a fun book.

This is an absolutely perfect book -- from the glorious, witty, engaging illustrations to the colorful writing and message about belonging, acceptance and love. My daughter literally squeals with delight when I pull it off the shelf to read to her (at least once a day). She can't get enough of Gaston, and, between you and me, neither can I!

Teaches a wonderful lesson about what being a family really means. I am in love with the illustrations which make it enjoyable even for readers too young to follow the plot (like my nephew, who despite being far too young to read Gaston himself, stares at the puppies happily for multiple minutes).

Another reviewer mentioned that it was odd how neither misplaced puppy fit in with their adopted siblings yet didn't feel at home with their "real" family- I don't think this is inconsistent at all. I think it's very realistic not to realize how like your own family you are until you experience people very unlike yourself (usually away from home). Little differences feel bigger when you have so little context. Anyway- amazing book!

With diversity in families these days, I think this book sends a very poor message to children. I purchased it for my 6 year old granddaughter who is adopted, but would not consider reading it to her. the illustrator dud a good job!

Mrs. Poodle admired her new puppies, Fi-Fi, Foo-Foo, Ooh-La-La, and Gaston. ~ Gaston

Gaston is a story about a delivery room mix-up that goes right. What’s not to love? It has humor. Fi-Fi? Foo-Foo? Ooh-La-La? I bet Kelly DiPucchio’s critique group spit cappuccino out of their noses when they first read these names out loud.

It has smarts. Alliterations please the ears: “There was much to see. Daffodils. Ducklings. Dogs.” Attention-getting cues engage: “Would you like to see them again?”

It has heart. Despite parenting alone and discovering a post-delivery mix-up, the canine supermoms, Mrs. Poodle and Mrs. Bulldog, raise well-adjusted, thriving offspring. This is the perfect book for those who question their place in the world. While researching Gaston, I was surprised by nature vs. nurture debates. My take: While every family situation is different, one element remains the same. Belonging isn’t about similarities. It’s about love.

Christian Robinson’s retro illustrations, including the Poodle and Bulldog family pictures; make me miss my sentimental supermom; and my fairly normal, but unique gold, orange, and green childhood.

~ Anna

GASTON is the story of a pug that is accidentally swapped at birth with a poodle. It is a story about nature versus nurture. It is a story about families and motherhood. It is a story about appearances and how they are so often deceiving. It is a story about fitting in. It is such a good story. There are so many layers to the story that are deep and meaningful and yet it is a pleasant, often funny book to read with kids. DiPucchio's voice is delightful and shines through with quirky likability in the illustrations by Christian Robinson. Like Gaston and Antoinette themselves, this book looks like one thing and is in some ways another. While GASTON is a sweet little book about two dogs and their families, inside it is truly so much more.

Gaston always seems a bit different from his poodle siblings, but he still loves his family and takes his mother's training to heart. So when the Poodle family meets the Bull Dog family at the park and realizes there was a terrible mistake, they decide to try and fix things. But Gaston just doesn't feel at home with the Bull Dogs, and Antoinette cannot fill Gaston's spot in the Poodle family, so the families switch back. But they all still frequently meet together at the park for fun and friendship.

A cute story that may be good for adopted kids with a message that family isn't necessarily determined by who you most resemble on the outside.
This would be a good compare/contrast story to read along side a version of the Ugly Duckling.

Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio was a charming tale about two doggy families and how they learned to embrace difference and individuality. I loved this sweet little book!
Gaston featured two dog families, both with four puppies, and each unit with an outlier pup who “ruffed” when his three sibling’s “yipped”, and “yapped” when her three siblings “yipped.” Then, a chance meeting of the doggy families at the park showed everyone that the outlier pups – Gaston and Antoinette – had been switched at birth! The tale ended with a mutually agreeable switch followed much later, by a joining of Gaston and Antoinette who taught their pups to “be whatever they wanted to be.”
What made Gaston such a joy to read was two fold: The simple message of acceptance and the eventual embrace of individuality, and the bright, wonderfully expressive and funny acrylic illustrations which added a spark of goofiness to the puppies’ expressions and personalities.
I highly recommend Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio with illustrations by Christian Robinson for young readers grade 1 and up and as a read aloud selections for parents of child age newborn to 5

I loved this book! Unlike the viewer who found it "pretentious" and took issue with the nature vs. nurture, I felt it was artfully handled. The book explicitly says that Gaston had to work extra hard to yip and act dainty, basically where his nurture goes against his nature. And then, it ends with the dogs realizing that raising their pups that way isn't necessarily the best, so Gaston lets his pups grow into whoever they are by nature.

As an adoptive parent, I really appreciated that the dogs switched places and then realized that family isn't just looking alike and acting alike, family is who you love. That is a message we want our children to know loud and clear!

Putting a happy spin on switched baby scandals, this new title from Atheneum Books is an engaging mix of story and art. Kelly DiPucchio hits all the right notes with her text and Christian Robinson's broad-stroke acrylics are winsome.

A bulldog and a poodle find themselves in opposite litters. In one family, we see teapot-sized Gaston and his teacup-sized sisters. In the other, we see a poodle who does not like anything proper or precious or pink. The narrator invites reader-accomplices with a winking refrain of 'Would you like to see them again?' Despite their atypical breed behavior, the mismatched pups are clearly loved, the family portraits a lovely touch.

Gaston is a modern fish-out-of-water tale which ironically advocates nurture over nature--in contrast to the classic Fish Is Fish--but which ultimately demonstrates that feeling right is more important than looking right. In the end, the final message is the one that counts: "They taught them to be whatever they wanted to be." The story's denouement, a truly mixed litter, came as a fun surprise. Boodles (bulldog poodles) may become the next "IT" puppy.

Conclusion: A timeless message of love, paired with charming art. This is one of the best picture books of the year. Only, where did the daddy doggies go?

[The reviewer was provided with a complimentary copy of the book.]

Gaston, the French bulldog, lives with his poodle family. He has three teacup sized sisters and tries hard to fit in. One day Mrs. Poodle takes her pups to the park and they run into Mrs. Bulldog and her four puppies. Antoinette, the smallest one, looks different from her brothers. That’s when they realize that Antoinette and Gaston were switched at birth. The mothers fix the mix-up and go back home, but awhile later, the families realize they have made a mistake. This book has beautiful illustrations using mostly pastel colors. The scenery gives clues that the book is set in Paris. The illustrator helps the author with her message by making the dogs look so different. Their facial expressions show their personality and what is going on in that scene of the book. The main theme of the book is families come in all shapes and sizes. The dog moms thought it was a good idea to right their mistake but the truth is family isn’t just determined by genetics. In actuality it’s determined by those who love you unconditionally and accept you for who you are. I would recommend this book to teachers and parents because of the varying character lessons that this book could accompany.

Gaston doesn't fit in with his pretty, precious poodle family. Graceful Antoinette doesn't fit in with her burly, brawny bulldog family. When their families meet at the park, Gaston and Antoinette switch places. Does it work out? See how these two family resolve family differences and how Gaston and Antoinette fit in at last. This book teaches that you don't have to look like everybody else to fit in.

Illustrations are appealing. The story is fun to read. It would prompt some discussion of how it's best to enjoy being yourself.

This was a really cute book and teaches about family. Two puppies get switched at birth, raised differently, then discovered later. And though the puppies were young, even they knew something was different. They ended up switching back to the "correct" families, but soon realized that there is more to family than blood. This would be a great book for young kids who are learning about adoption, but is really enjoyable to others, as well.

Such a beautiful story that isn't cheesy or trite. We love the book so much that we even named our neighborhood geese after all of the characters! The illustrations are gorgeous as well. Definitely one of our top 10 kids books.

The illustrations are amazing and adorable and the pacing and wording of the book is genius. Kelly DiPucchio writes the way I fine myself reading aloud to my kids (repeating or emphasizing the right words). We first got this book from the library but realized we need to own our own copy.

Although the illustrations are great, something about this book ultimately misses the mark. The "nature vs nurture" theme is an interesting twist on the ugly duckling story, but it feels very forced. The book leads you to believe that Gaston, the bulldog, doesn't fit in with his poodle siblings, yet when he is switched into a bulldog family, only then do you find out that actually, Gaston had learned to behave like a poodle and now feels uncomfortable around bulldogs (even though only a few pages earlier he had been acting like a bulldog). To add to the flaws, the writing itself is a bit labored and awkward, which makes it unenjoyable to read aloud to my daughter.