SMICK

A dog named Smick encounters a stick and Chick, with high-action results.

When Smick hears his named called, followed by the command to sit, he eagerly responds, winning a laudatory “Good, Smick.” Ordered to fetch a stick, Smick complies and earns another “Good, Smick.” Then Smick hears Chick clucking. He curiously approaches the little bird to investigate and receives an alarmed “No, Smick, no!” As Smick and Chick check each other out, Chick perches on Smick’s head until Smick resumes chasing the stick. Eventually, the unlikely pair bond and companionably share the stick as well as a friendly lick. Printed in bold, black typeface, the spare text plays with single words like “Smick,” “stick,” “Chick,” “sidekick,” “sidechick,” “lick” and “ick,” triggering a neat rhyming cadence from beginning to end. Simplicity is key in the energetic, digitally rendered illustrations printed on plain white backgrounds. Economical, expressive, fluid black lines capture Smick’s range of doggy emotions and postures, while Chick catches the eye as a single red-and-yellow digitally collaged flower petal with a black beak, eye and wings digitally added. The realistic photo of a stick adds whimsical verisimilitude.

Less is definitely more in this fetching, fun-filled mix of dog, chick and stick, guaranteed to tickle all