ON THE ROAD

Down Girl and Sit are best friends. They are also dogs, dogs who enjoy the finer things of canine life, including chasing squirrels, bothering their masters and eating crumbs. The charming first-canine point of view really works here—partly because Nolan keeps her dog’s voice steady and humorous, and partly because she really seems to think like a dog. The first of the four linked stories involves a drive to the beach and an exciting episode where the car’s brake fails and the two dogs “drive” down the beach. Because Down Girl sees the world through canine glasses, the reader is treated to some amusing takes on dog behavior. For instance, when Down Girl and Sit find a bag of two doughnuts, they have to decide who gets them. “Hmm. There were two dogs, two masters, and two doughnuts. That sounded about right. Thank goodness dogs don’t know math. That makes all our decisions easy. We ate the doughnuts.” Kids will want to curl up with their best friend and laugh at the adventures of Down Girl and Sit. (Fiction. 6-9)