Pups Mister Bud and Zorro make perfect stand-ins for human siblings in Carter Goodrich's (Hello to Zorro!) Mister Bud Wears the Cone. The two pets vie for the attention of their human while never wavering from their canine nature.
Mister Bud develops a bad hot spot, causing him to chew and lick the whole night through, while Zorro slumbers peacefully. Goodrich depicts the main action and labels it in clear black type ("In the morning it was worse"), while Zorro's red, all-uppercase, hand-lettered type translates his urgent barks ("Biscuit, then a walk time!!"). As their human applies ointment and sympathetically cuddles Mister Bud, the pug's expression as he holds his leash in his jaws telegraphs his annoyance: "The schedule was all messed up." Mister Bud hates the cone he must wear (to keep him from licking the hot spot), and a series of comical images depicts the dogs trying to remove the cone. Worse, Mister Bud (only his snout protrudes from the cone) can't eat or drink, and Zorro taunts him with a game of hide-and-seek. When Mister Bud accidentally knocks over a lamp, he feels so bad, he doesn't even join Zorro for "greet and make a fuss time." Despite Zorro's barks ("Look what Mister Bud did!"), Mister Bud gets the benefit of the doubt.
With humor and compassion, Goodrich paints a rich inner life for his dog heroes, and a friendship that can endure a few trials and tribulations. Sure to remedy any rough waters in sibling relationships, and a charmer for any dog lover. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness