Be Gentle With the Dog Dear
PreS—Tag is a good and gentle dog, but baby Elisa likes him more as a handy object to squeeze, tackle, and pull on his tale. Despite the constant monitoring and cautions by her parents, babe and pup are continually at odds—and Tag is miserable. When Elisa confiscates his special bone-shaped toy, the conflict results in a howling crisis. Then, just as the two finally make peace, Elisa spots a new target: a brown-striped cat that, up until now, has successfully escaped her attention. Elisa, it seems, still has much to learn. Baek uses pale backgrounds, devoid of detail, focusing the simple action front and center. He captures the nuances of both dog and baby with expressive faces and postures, expanding on the humor in the situations. His chosen colors of mostly blues, reds, grays, and tans harmonize with the story. Audience, however, is in question: too complicated for babies, too basic for those a bit older, this title may find its best home as a cautionary tale for parents coping with both pets and babies in the same household.—Barbara Elleman, Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.