Hide-and-Peek? Is There a Dog in This Book? by Viviane Schwarz

"OH! HELLO!

YOU OPENED OUR BOOK!

Right away, in her latest finger-friendly flap book, Is There a Dog in This Book? (Candlewick Press, 2014), Viviane Schwarz's three comic cats let us know that this is no ordinary missing puppy tale. Her cats, Moonpie, Andre', and Tiny, let us know that we are visitors in a metabook, where the characters interact with whomever is off page. It's no problem for this practiced three, however, and right away the reader is invited to join in on their search for the dog they just know, with the mysterious intuition of cats, is hiding in their house.

"WAIT! IS THERE SOMEBODY ELSE IN THIS BOOK?

SOMEBODY DRANK ALL MY MILK!"

The last thing these felines want in their domicile is a yappish, snappish dog, so they mount a vigorous search. Could he be hiding behind the purple sofa? Can somebody help them look?

"CAN YOU MOVE THIS SOFA?" they implore the reader.

Bingo! There, behind the sofa flap, is a long-eared purple canine who looks like he's there to stay! The cats flee!

"PSSST! FRIEND.

NOW WE'RE HIDING IN THE PIANO."

The reader is enjoined NOT to lift the piano lid, but who could resist?

You can see where this one is going, as an extensive dog, er, cat hunt follows, with the three kitties eager to seek the perfect hiding place all over the house--the closet, the suitcase (Very Boring! says their sign), and even the kitchen cabinet, which opens to reveal a small but possibly smokey dragon! But finally, Tiny, the littlest and least dog-averse cat has an intriguing speculation.

"WHAT IF THE DOG LIKES CATS?"

Curiosity overtakes the cautious cats. Would it be nice to touch his furry coat? Would he be fun to play with?

There many a slip between lift-the-flaps and friendship, but it looks like when the cats finally find their doggy, there are going to be some changes made around their house in this interactive game of hide-and-seek. Viviane Schwarz's inventive flaps, so well integrated with the interior of the house, make for some surprises and lots of giggles, and her deft page-turn design keeps human curiosity as keen as the cats'. She throws in a bit of dogs drool visual humor by portraying the pup's thought balloons in the simplest of stick figures, while the cats speak only in artful language. There definitely is a dog in this book, and it looks like he's there to stay.

Schwarz's three likeable cats also star in her previous companion books, There Are No Cats in this Book and
There Are Cats in This Book, all filled with interactive feline fun. "Along with a hand-lettered text, animal figures rendered in vigorous daubs of black and colored inks give the episode an endearing, informal energy reminiscent of Chris Raschka's Daisy outings," says Kirkus.

As Right As.... Apple Pie ABC by Aliso Murray

G   Get a taste for it!

H   Have to have a lick of it!

I     In trouble!

Pie is not the recommended daily diet for doggies, but when a crumb from the fresh-baked apple pie falls on the floor, the family canine does what dogs do! He laps it up and suddenly acquires a taste for the fruity pastry. In fact, he's downright Eager for it. When he attempts to Jump up upon the table to get a bigger bite, his little mistress decides he had to be removed from the scene, Kept out of temptation for his own good. She snatches him up, Leaves with him under her arm, and plops him in doggy time-out, still hungry and now, well, mighty Miserable!

But this Rover comes over, as he escapes from isolation and steals back to where the warm pie is cooling in the kitchen. Scooting Under the Table, he comes up with a way to get to the pie without giving away his Undercover approach. Stealthily the pup pulls on the edge of the tablecloth---slowly, Very slowly, until ....WHOOPS! The pie hits the floor and it's time for a quick eXit from the scene of the crime, but not without this pooch's pastry prize!  YUM!  Our pup is full and content and ready to find a hideaway in which to catch some...zzzZZZZZs!

Alison Murray's delectable doggy-cum-pie alphabet book,  Apple Pie ABC (Hyperion Press) is a delicious dissertation upon this delightful dessert.  Apple pie is awesome, amazing, and almost absolutely attractive, as we admit, and it's hard to blame this chow hound for giving in to apple pie mania as he makes his way through the alphabet.  More than just an alphabetical list of words, this charming little board book is great for predicting what letter, word, and action comes next and even serves as a beginning book for novice readers An A+ All-Around treat!

Where, Oh, Where Has My Little Dog Gone? Tucker, Little Dog Lost and Found by Danny Sit

MY NAME IS TUCKER, WITH A CAPITAL T. WHEN I WOKE UP TODAY I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE DAY WOULD BRING.

Tucker is a little white spotted terrier whose idea of a day planner is to follow his nose. He just knows he it's going on an adventure.

Now Tucker does make preparations. He takes his coolest hoodie--in case he meets a big-time rock star. He also takes a yellow slicker, his new dog tag, and a few other things and after giving momentary consideration to his mode of travel, hops a train to the beach. Once there Tucker is in dog heaven! He digs up clams, chases a beach ball someone has left behind, and collects driftwood sticks--just in case.

LIFE IS GOOD!

But like all little runaways, Tucker soon realizes that he's a long way from the comforts of home. He's footsore and hungry, and to tell the truth, he doesn't know which way home is.

WHERE'S PAPA?

Danny Sit's Tucker: Little Dog Lost & Found (Sterling, 2011) takes a photographic essay look at the evergreen tale of the youngster gone astray and returned to home safely. The photogenic little Jack Russell is as cute as a spotted pup can be, and little dog lovers will enjoy his adventures and the joy of returning safely home.

Dino Love II: How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs? by Jane Yolen

DOES HE OFTEN FORGET TO TAKE IT OUTSIDE?

DOES HE JUMP ON ITS BACK FOR A PIGGY-BACK RIDE?

Little chasmosauruses, like little humans, often forget that their furry friends have needs and feelings, too, and Jane Yolen's and Mark Teague's new board book for the youngest pet owners, How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs? (Blue Sky Press, 2010) somehow uses their familiar format to establish rapport with both the aggrieved pooches and with the misbehaving youngsters by modelling better behavior right away and by showing the pleasure it brings to their pets.

HE LOVES HIS DEAR DOG AND DOES EVERY CHORE.

GOOD DINOSAUR!

It's a lucky pup who has a sympathetic stygionoloch, or an empathetic child, to love and care for him, and with this lovely little book in hand, any newbie dog owner should be well on his or her way to responsible pet care. A nice addition to this dino-mite series.