Be Brown! - Softcover

Preschool-Grade 1--The story of a little boy and his rambunctious, disobedient dog. Brown won't follow any of his young master's commands of "Sit," "Stay," or "Down." In fact, he does just the opposite, much to the child's frustration. Finally, as if inspired, the boy yells, "Be Brown!" This command elicits a joyous response from the animal and a relieved "Good dog" from the boy. In the spirit of David Shannon's No, David! (Scholastic, 1998), the book has one word per page, leaving the uncluttered, expressive illustrations to expand on the story. The boy's bulging eyes; wide, large, open mouth; and unruly red hair give him the look of any youngster fruitlessly chasing after something that is clearly too much for him. The child-sized dog bounds about the yard and house in total disregard for his young owner's words. A fun book for beginning readers and lap-time sharing that will elicit giggles all around.

Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Bottner (Two Messy Friends) and Gott (Patches Lost and Found) treat readers to a simple, effective tale of a boy beleaguered by a disobedient dog. The poker-face text, made up of one- and two-word commands, inspires hilarious animated illustrations of the pup doing the opposite. "Sit!" shouts the boy in the opening spread. Instead, the perky pooch who's as big as the boy jumps up to lick him on the face. "Drop it!" the boy says as the dog feasts on a sneaker. Fueled by frustration ("Be careful! Be quiet!"), the boy finally comes up with a command his pet can conquer: "Be brown!" In the end, the two embrace as the boy finally comes to accept the distinctive character of his canine companion. All ages.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.