Come, Boy! Santiago Stays by Angela Dominguez

"HERE, SANTIAGO!

LOOK WHAT I'VE GOT FOR YOU!"

Most dog owners have to work hard to get their dogs to sit and stay, but this boy has the opposite problem.

Santiago won't move!

Nothing works.  The boy offers his favorite toys and tenders a game of fetch.

Santiago sits.

The boy holds up his blue leash enticingly. Want to take a long walk?  He offers Santiago his favorite sweater to wear.

Santiago simply won't rise to the occasion!

"A YUMMY TREAT?"

Dog treats don't do the trick.  When Santiago won't bite on that, the boy ups the ante with a turkey leg.  How about a hamburger on the side?

Santiago lies down definitively on the mat. This dog is not budging!

Is Santiago a bad dog?  Or is he the world's most loyal guard dog? Kids will find out when the boy's baby sister wakes and begins to wail from her crib in Angela Dominguez' latest, Santiago Stays (Abrams, 2013).  Dominguez, author of Let's Go, Hugo! (see review here) will earn the author-illustrator more fans for her subtly charming style of illustration. Santiago is one of the cutest pups on a mission in all of muttdom, and this story of a dog who does his duty is sure to win the preschool hearts. Kirkus says " Dog lovers and older siblings alike will bask in the quiet humor as they try to solve this gentle canine mystery."