Nobody's Dog - Hardcover

This picture book's snug format (5"x7") fits its winning tale of a small white dog in need of a friend. Thrust out of a car, the pup with "one brown ear (the right one), two brown paws (the front ones), and a feathery tail" searches up and down River Road for a home. Despite repeated setbacks?too small for one family, too noisy for another, too much entirely for yet another?his persistence eventually wins him the heart of a persnickety (and lonely) gardener. Graeber (Fudge) builds her tale as sturdily as a little house, using repetition to bolster the gentle cadences and colorful descriptions (e.g., after a meal, the dog's stomach "bulges like a small balloon"; after adopting the dog, Miss Pepper's heart feels "full as a bucket"). The small-scale domestic canvas and abundance of cozy detail recall Cynthia Rylant's Mister Putter and Tabby books. Root (Someplace Else) matches the delicate tone in sun-dappled watercolor and gouache art, both vignettes and full-page illustrations, and he adds an element of mischief as well. Quietly laced with humor?be it the large, substantial home, car and selves of the Fitzes (who "liked things big") or the froglike posture of Miss Pepper as she shoves a boulder against her garden gate in a vain attempt to keep the canine intruder out?the pictures add yards of appeal. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kindergarten-Grade 2ALibrarians will want to make space on their crowded picture-book shelves for this appealing story. Graeber's text may look long, particularly in comparison to the book's small size, but not a word is wasted. The author paints a portrait of a persistent pup, determined to find a new home after being abandoned by the roadside. Various neighbors find reasons not to adopt the nameless dog. He's too small for the Fitzes, who "liked things big" and too noisy for Mrs. Applegate, who enjoys her peaceful home and quietly purring cat. There's just no room at the Swansons, with three kids, "three cats, two canaries, four gerbils, a rabbit, a mouse, a guinea pig, five hamsters, and a large dog." Miss Pepper has no use for a dog, particularly one that will destroy her garden. Root's illustrations, executed in watercolor and gouache, provide amusing glimpses into these quirky characters' lives while maintaining the story's focus on the efforts of the perky pooch to belong to somebody. Everybody is happy when he finally finds a home. Like the small pup, this book won't take up much room and will be quickly adopted by loving readers.ALisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.