C’MERE, BOY!

Dog wants a boy, even though his mother points out that they are hard to train and that there isn’t enough room in the dog house. Dog sets out anyway to completely prepare for the boy he knows he’ll someday have: He buys “Kid Crunch,” gets a leash and attends obedience school. When Dog leaves home with the intent of finding a boy, he discovers it’s harder than he thought to find just the right one. Dog ends up in the pound because he has no license or leash, and he doesn’t know how he will get home. He’s taken out of his cage for a meet ’n’ greet where he finally finds Boy, THE boy he’s been waiting for. Dog decides to stay at Boy’s house, but he promises his mother they’ll visit soon. Jennings’s twist on the boy-meets-dog tale will please those who enjoy the wry and somewhat skewed. Spires’s muted watercolor-and-ink box-headed cartoon illustrations are a good match for the time-in-cheek text. Not for literal-minded readers, but those with an appreciation for the slightly absurd will chuckle. (Picture book. 3-7)