Author of Children’s Book Leads Merry Book Signing

Peggy Rathmann was keeping a group of friends in stitches one evening, or so she thought. But they really were laughing at something going on behind her.

That embarrassing situation became the springboard for “Officer Buckle and Gloria,” a children’s book about a police officer upstaged by his dog. The book won this year’s Caldecott Medal from the American Library Assn.

Rathmann kept about 70 children giggling when she read the humorous and colorful book Thursday at Children’s Book World in West Los Angeles, her only appearance and book signing in Los Angeles since she won.

The book’s main character, Officer Buckle, is a cop who teaches safety tips to schoolchildren. But Buckle is a dismal failure as a safety officer until the Police Department pairs him up with a dog named Gloria.

The book’s bright and bold pictures tell the story of how Gloria steals the limelight at school assemblies by acting out the safety tips behind Buckle’s back as the officer tells them to the students. Buckle, meanwhile, is unaware of what’s going on, believing he has become an overnight success with the youngsters.

The plump policeman is embarrassed when he gets wise to Gloria’s antics but, of course, man and dog eventually live happily ever after.

The light mood of “Officer Buckle and Gloria” is in stark contrast to the somber topic of last year’s Caldecott winner, “Smoky Night,” which focused on the Los Angeles riots.