Three stories you can read to your dog

Gr. 2-4. Written at a level somewhere between an easy reader and a beginning chapter book, this sly, silly book has flashes of humor that an adult might appreciate best. Still, any kid who owns a dog will recognize his or her lovable pet in these three short stories ostensibly told to the mutt himself. All the stories feature the same goofy-looking dog. The first vignette spoofs how dogs go crazy barking every time someone knocks at the door. In the second, the dog buries a bone and then goes crazy, digging dozens of holes trying, without success, to find it. Finally, it settles for a dog biscuit: "You ate up the biscuit. You felt nice and full. You forgot all about the bone." In the third story, the dog turns into "Wild Dog," chasing cars and squirrels with equal success--none. The watercolor art is clever and full of vigor, bringing to life those slobbering, sweet animals that are totally dog. --Ilene Cooper

``When you feel bored, you read a book. But dogs can't read,'' Miller points out. Lest people have all the fun, she's designed this chapter book with canine sensibilities in mind. Each tale is addressed to ``you good dog,'' enabling readers to speak directly to a pet. ``The Burglar'' testifies to the fierceness and bravery ``you'' exhibit after hearing a knock on the door; ``The Bone'' chronicles the history of a gift from ``your friend,'' including a dream sequence about a splendid ``bone tree''); and ``The Wild Dog'' is an adventure in which ``you'' frighten a car, chase a squirrel and triumphantly return home for a can of food and a nap. Kelley (I Really Want a Dog) sketches a floppy brown Everydog who wags attentively at the narrator's voice, then enacts each role of eating, sleeping and protecting the house; the illustrator's familiarity with doggy expressions and gestures serves Miller's volume well. Humans will find these selections entertaining even without a hound present-but it's always nice to share. Ages 7-10. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

K-Gr 3‘Readers can share these short, easy-to-read stories with their dogs in one, two, or three sessions, depending on the animal's attention span. They are about the things canines understand best‘barking at a ``burglar'' on the other side of the door, eating and burying bones, and pretending to be a ``wild dog.'' Canine lovers can't help but laugh out loud at these stories, made even funnier by the watercolor-and-ink cartoon illustrations. Fans of Cynthia Rylant's ``Henry and Mudge'' series (Bradbury) will love this book, so order a couple of copies.‘Gale W. Sherman, Pocatello Public Library, ID (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

These simple accounts of such doggy activities as barking at the front door, hiding and losing a bone, and running away from home to become a 'wild dog' lack imagination. The peppy, colorful illustrations deserve a more vivid text. From HORN BOOK 1995, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.