IN THE DOGHOUSE

A kid and a big, drooly dog share easy-reader adventures. Sound familiar? In this case, Emma and her dog Bo swim, frolic and cloud-watch during the family’s lakeside vacation. When ice cream–loving Bo grabs and devours her Popsicle, Emma angrily shouts, “Go jump in the lake! . . . get lost! Scram!” In a sweetly doggy chapter of his own, Bo obliges, moving from tail-dragging sadness through a series of exuberant misadventures around and in the lake, finally lying down roadside, bee-stung and lost. When Emma and her parents search for Bo, the text supplies appropriate repetition as they retrace Bo’s path. After the happy reunion, the family stops for celebratory ice-cream cones. “By-mistake-on-purpose,” Emma drops a scoop for Bo. Kelley’s ink-and-watercolor pictures perfectly suit this plainly told tale, aptly reflecting the action and supplying much of the humor. Nothing new, but still, a woofy treat. (Easy reader. 5-7)