What Is Your Dog Doing?
What Is Your Dog Doing?Marilyn Singer, illus. by Kathleen Habbley. S&S/Atheneum, $12.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4169-7931-9Newcomer Habbley brings 1960s cartoon–style spreads bursting with color and action to Singer's (Mirror, Mirror) direct, telegraphic lines: "Dog sharing/ Dog daring/ Dog in a chase/ Dog in disgrace./Brilliant dog that loves to herd,/ Famous dog that gets chauffeured." "Dog sharing" shows a hound with a goofy expression pushing his stuffed toy toward a demure poodle with beribboned ears--a spread in which the blue of the toy, the umber of the hound's fur, and the white of the poodle vibrate against a field of solid red. For "Dog daring," a small, white terrier rides in the sidecar of a motorcycle, zooming straight toward viewers. "Dog in a chase" is a bathtub escapee, and the "Dog in disgrace" is a doleful basset hound who holds a tulip in his mouth and wears a "Who, me?" expression, the whole given warmth and energy by the bright orange background. The combination of matte pages and intense colors creates a silk-screen-like effect, and the crisp edges of the shapes please, too. A companion volume about cats would be just the thing. Ages 3–7.--Publishers Weekly, April 25, 2011