COOL DOG, SCHOOL DOG
by Deborah Heiligman and illustrated by Tim Bowers
Tinka the dog returns for a romp through school that starts badly but ends well (Fun Dog, Sun Dog, 2005). Depressed at having to say goodbye to her boy at the bus, she makes a break for it and follows him to school, with predictably chaotic results. But while she’s waiting to be taken back home, the kids decide to read to her—starting her on a second career as a reading buddy. Heiligman’s tale is well-timed to ride the wave of “Reading with Rover” programs in schools and libraries, and her infectious rhymes (“Tinka is a bad dog, / a sad dog, / a makes-our-teacher-mad dog!”) pair well with Bowers’s goofy, energetic illustrations to make this gentle piece of propaganda go down easy. (Picture book. 4-8)