DOGS RULE!

A cheerful collection of compatible canines decorates the cover of this oversized volume, with a Chihuahua holding a bone monogrammed with the name of the author/illustrator. Using the same format as his previous collection with a transportation theme (Go!, 2001), Kirk here offers 22 rhyming poems about dogs and their behavior. The poems are actually the lyrics to songs (with vocals by Kirk) that are included on an accompanying CD. The poems cover several dog stereotypes and many aspects of common canine behavior, incorporating bouncy humor in both text and illustration. Kirk excels at capturing canine expressions: an outraged bulldog, a pampered lapdog, or a gleeful spaniel sticking its head out the car window to take the breeze. When considered as poetry, the poems are a little sing-songy, but then they are songs, and children might just have more fun singing along with the CD than merely listening. (Picture book. 4-8)