DOG GONE!

No, dog!

A frisky pup bounds through his home, radiating happiness and cheerfully making messes wherever he goes. Crisp, pithy phrases replete with rhyme and repetition will have young readers eagerly joining in as this mischievous mutt gets into lots of trouble. “Happy dog. / Yappy dog. / Settle down, you snappy dog,” his boy warns, but he goes unheeded. When the dog rips up a beloved toy, he finally gets a well-deserved scolding and, wounded to the bone, runs off. As he sadly wanders the streets in search of a place to stay, the digitally enhanced acrylic illustrations show him from different angles as he comes to terms with his new situation. But life on the street is no place for a dog such as he. “Enough, dog. / You’re tough, dog. / But not for living rough, dog,” a well-meaning new canine friend tells him. At the perfect moment, the dog’s boy appears, searching by flashlight, and the two are joyfully reunited. The jubilant pup gets overexcited again (“No, dog… / Whoa, dog!”), but as the two curl up for sleep with the newly repaired toy, the boy adds, “I’ll never let you go, dog.” Dog lovers and energetic youngsters will find much to love here, and the final note of acceptance provides comfort and warmth.

A sweet pooch portrait of unconditional love.