A SMALL BROWN DOG WITH A WET PINK NOSE

Of late in picture books it seems that the classic order of children and parents has reversed: Children are the wise ones who fool and rule their elders. Small Amelia wants/needs/must have a pet, specifically the small brown dog of the title. She hypothesizes dog-ownership ideals to which her parents agree and then uses clever ruses to convince them that the hypothetical dog is real—and when it runs away they search and find. Bones, for that is the name Amelia has given it, goes home, although previously they “weren’t ready for a dog”—but Amelia is and has been. She’s outsmarted her very kindly mother and father, a dog with a wet pink nose has found a home and one may expect they all live happily after. Hunter’s colorful and very solid illustrations were done digitally, and line shows emotions, actions and settings in a way that is both reminiscent of Golden Book illustrations and playfully postmodern. This outing should please young readers, especially those for whom a dog is a most important desire—and children rule. (Picture book. 3-6)