I AM THE LONGEST DOG

Lucy the dog enjoys describing just how long she is.

“This is where I start,” she notes, opposite an illustration of doggy rear end, two hind legs, and a tail. Her body, which is white, with brown spots, extends across a bright blue background—and beyond. “I keep going, too.” The furry body (no feet, just fur and spots) spans the whole double-page spread: “I’m telling you: I am a very long dog.” If a dog told a joke it would probably have this same goofy energy and good humor but no punchline in sight. It might go on, and on, as long as someone was listening. Lucy demonstrates that she is longer than a stretch limousine, a blue whale, and a “stretch limo for the big blue whale.” She can’t fit in doghouses or go for car rides or sit on laps. She goes to great lengths (ha, ha) to prove that, indeed, she is the longest dog. The single visual joke bridges the turn of many pages before reaching Lucy’s head with its friendly doggy grin and slightly floppy ears. Pretty silly and pretty funny—if a bit short on plot, Lucy’s tale is nevertheless long on amusing hyperbole. She certainly IS the longest dog, and a final, unfolding spread drives home exactly how long she is.

A cheerful, good-humored bit of a stretch.