LITTLE SCRAGGLY HAIR

Retelling the tale “Why Dogs Have Wet Noses” from the dog’s perspective, Cullen sets the story in America and uses Appalachian dialect recorded by Richard Chase. The result is a folksy, charming, appealing variation. “Folks didn’t take much to dogs in them days, thought dogs were no count, just toters of fleas.” When Little Scraggly Hair limps into Noah’s barnyard where he’s sawin’ and hammerin’ away, the two take to each other immediately. Scraggly totes his bag of nails and herds the critters onto the ark. Come the rains, he bounds up the ramp, but there’s no room. He’s “stuck ’tween a pair of cranky bears and two snortin’ buffaloes. Fits so tight, he has to stick his nose through a knothole,” where, many days later, a dove with a branch lands. Colorful watercolor illustrations harmonize with the folksy tone and effective points of view buoy up the subtleties. An author’s note upfront details her story’s origin. Another refreshing take on the biblical story, less religious, more human nature. (Picture book. 4-8)