UP IN HEAVEN

Daisy is an old, old dog, and she can’t keep up with her boy Arthur, though she loves him. One morning she awakens in heaven, which is quite pleasant. She feels young again and has playmates, but Arthur is sad. Her new friends tell her to send him dreams. She first lets him know where she is and that she likes it. He cheers up a little, but it takes her sending him a dream of a puppy for him to assent to his parents’ wish that he accept a new canine friend. Daisy can now relax, but she never stops looking out for Arthur and his new dog. Clark takes a break from Blue Kangaroo to lend her bright, pleasant watercolors to this reassuring story. Arthur is allowed his sadness, and his eventual happiness obviously doesn’t lessen his love for Daisy or hers for him. A non-denominational look at heaven and the afterlife that will be a comfort to many youngsters: the best dead pet story yet. (Picture book. 2-7)