Canine Cameo: My Dog Spot by Jack E. Levin

MY DOG SPOT IS WHITE WITH BLACK SPOTS.

He's just a dog. A middle-sized dog.

He's got a black circle around one eye and a black spot on top of his head.

So his name is SPOT. (What else?)

His ears are pointed and upright--most of the time. He barks BOW WOW when he's excited and YIP YIPS when he laughs.

HIS TAIL GOES UP WHEN HE'S HAPPY

--AND DOWN WHEN HE'S SAD.

He likes to eat and knows how to sit up and bark for his supper. He loves to chase cats and play tug-of-war with Daddy's slipper when he can get it. He likes to dig holes to bury his bones. And he loves to go for a ride in Daddy's car with his head out the window, his ears all askew.

He's just a dog. A middle-sized dog. But....

MY DOG SPOT LOVES ME.

Frank E. Levin's My Dog Spot (Aladdin Books, 2016) gives youngsters a portrait of the iconic dog in all his glory, the perfect pet every child wants. Norma Levin's illustrations bring Spot to life, executed in textured chalk on rough brown paper stock in simple childlike lines which catch the ebullient personality Spot brings to the family circle. He's just a dog, but to look at Spot is to love him. Perfect for a lap-sit read and easy enough for beginning readers to share with younger siblings, this book is the next best thing to having a dog like Spot of your own.