Still More Doggone Good Tales: Wag-a-Tail by Lois Ehlert

Lois Ehlert's latest collage art picture book is as joyous and bouncy as a bunch of dogs out for a walk. Constructed from cloth and paper cutouts, a few buttons, and a lot of imagination, the various breeds of dogs pictured on a stroll through an urban farmers' market are amazingly recognizable, by shape and by personality, as they strut their newly graduated obedience skills.

Ha-Woo,
How are you?
We are cool,
We never drool,
We're graduates of Bow Wow School!

Not that the canine cruisers are perfect. Behavior skills slip a bit here and there among the many temptations of the city streets. One dog gives in to temptation as he breaks free to chase a cat.

Dog gone?
Moving on.
Big dog broke a rule.
"So sorry. Lost my cool!"

The dogs are finally rewarded for their good behavior by a romp in the city dog park.

We do tricks,
Pick up sticks,
We are very cool.
We chase squirrels
Meet furry girls,
But we never drool.

Ehlert's dogs and dog walkers are rendered in crisp, bright colors against a steady green background and they zip and zag through their cityscape with verve and pizazz. The author's afterword includes both a list of breeds with their characteristics and a description of the materials and techniques used to create the wonderful collages which fill Wag A Tail with all the fun of a walk in the park.