Thanks to Jo Williamson's debut picture book, How to Be a Dog, originally published in England, canines finally have the valuable information they need to "have some fun and be happy" when moving in with a new human family.
"Remember to always say hello to your human in a friendly way," the narrator dog advises his canine comrades. Sounds reasonable enough, but the illustration shows a wide-eyed girl, flat on her back next to a spilled basket of groceries, her face being licked by a crazed, tail-wagging pooch. "And welcome any visitors..." adds the narrator, as a dog noses up the skirt of a shocked, bespectacled woman. On every page, the illustration is a playful punchline to the understated text. "When playing ball, run straight back and drop it at your human's feet." Here, a dog catches the ball and loop-de-loops in a dotted line everywhere but back to the girl... in fact, he runs right past her. In the end, the narrator dog is happily stretched out underneath the table with his human best friend. Williamson's charming pencil sketches capture a range of dog expressions with the simplest of lines, and red and turquoise accents add to the whimsy. The front endpapers are populated by a host of comical dogs of various breeds and in many moods, from haughty to curious to overexcited. In the back endpapers, the dog and his human friend are mostly sleeping... a fitting end to any bedtime story.
There's nary an age group who wouldn't find something to wag a tail about in this irresistible homage to humankind's best friend. --Karin Snelson, children's editor, Shelf Awareness