Easy To See Why
In this expanded, newly illustrated edition of a story previously titled Best in Show , the recently deceased Gwynne ( A Chocolate Moose for Dinner ; Pondlarker ) has parlayed his keen sense of humor (evident in his numerous acting roles) into an inventive picture book. Relying as much on Gwynne's stiff but passable ink-and-watercolor illustrations as on the bouncy rhyming text, this tale playfully looks at the age-old colloquialism about people resembling their dogs. At its center is a girl who hears about a dog show and decides to enter her pooch (whom she does not look like). Although he lacks an impressive genealogy ("He wasn't pedigreed at all; / A mutt, you'd have to say. / His only family background was / The A.S.P.C.A."), the girl is convinced he will garner top prize. En route to the show, she meets a string of people, all of whom are dead ringers for their pure-bred dogs, and all of whom proclaim that "it's easy to see why" their pet will grab the blue ribbon. And who does? Suffice it to say the judge looks exactly like the girl's mutt. A joke easily shared by parents as well as preschoolers. Ages 4-7.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.