THE LITTLE BLUE DOGGY

The lyrics to the first song of the enclosed 13-song CD comprise this book's illustrated text and provide its title. (Lyrics to the other 12 appear at the back.) Dad's a big brown bulldog in a suit and tie, and Mom's an equally large white dog in a bright red dress. Blue Doggy, made of yarn, is also impeccably dressed. One day, his parents lock him in the bathroom closet so they can go to the park to watch humans on display...in cages! Doggy cries, then dreams; but while he's asleep, hundreds of mites march under the closet door and eat him, leaving only his cotton rag tail. Mom ends the tale by starting to knit another doggy. Lafrance's arresting illustrations have beautiful, saturated colors and play with perspective. The song as performed by translator Campagne gives it a quirky spin; otherwise it seems slightly macabre. Some of the other songs are very kid-oriented (squeaky new shoes, a conversation with Grandpa), and some (like "Kangarooster Bird" and "The Wrench"—about a doomed tool romance) are appealingly silly. Sublime for some, for others not so much. (Picture book. 5-8)