The Clothes Make the Dog: Zorro Gets An Outfit by Carter Goodrich

THE DAY BEGAN LIKE ANY OTHER FOR ZORRO AND MR. BUD. THEY HAD THEIR BISCUITS AND WERE READY FOR THEIR WALK.

BUT THERE WAS A DELAY.

"ZORRO, WE HAVE GOT A SURPRISE FOR YOU! YOU HAVE YOUR VERY OWN OUTFIT!"

His very own outfit is something no dog ever wants.

Little Zorro is not exactly a swashbuckling figure in that midnight blue cloak and cowl. And he knows it.

Unfortunately the other neighborhood dogs get the ironic humor in his costume, too.

"HEY, WONDER DOG!" EDDIE AND THE BOYS LAUGH. "FLY AROUND!"

Mr. Bud tries to distract poor Zorro with their daily chase of Slim, the pesky local cat, but this pug is too discomfited to even look at Slim, who yowls in derision at Zorro's costume from atop his trash can.

Chewing sticks and chasing in the park have no appeal, either.

Zorro is the victim of peer pressure. Portly pugs in caped costumes just aren't cool.

But then a dashing, flashing new figure appears on the scene. He's the fastest thing on four legs! He's a fearless Frisbee catcher! The other mutts in the dog park are agog as the dynamic Dart dashes across the green. This newcomer is definitely a top dog if there ever was one. And. . . he is wearing an outfit!

Nattily attired in a oh-so-French striped sailor's shirt and sassy bandanna, Dart is definitely a style-setter. And as all the dogs look on, jaws dropped in amazed silence, his gaze falls on Zorro.

"HEY! COOL OUTFIT! LET'S RACE!"

Any kid who has ever had to go out in public in uncool clothes their mother made them wear knows exactly how little Zorro feels in Carter Goodrich's just-published Zorro Gets an Outfit (Simon & Schuster, 2012). As in his hilarious first book, Say Hello to Zorro! (see my review here) Goodrich's simple but telling text and the hyper-expressive facial expressions and body language of his two dog buddies tell the tale. Set off in a carefully chosen palette and eye-catching line against bright white backgrounds, Goodrich's appealing illustrations make this one a ready read-aloud or an accessible self-reader for the early grades. Costumed in a cape or just himself, Zorro is definitely the dog of the day.