Old Dog Baby Baby

PreS-K—Those privileged to have known a mild-mannered dog, a martyr to baby love, a dog that will withstand any annoyance from an infant and still adore him, will appreciate this sweet story told in verse. Fogliano's spare, pitch-perfect rhymes capture the joyful meeting between a blond-haired diapered baby and a shaggy dog on the kitchen floor. Simple rhymes create the mood: "Baby hurry/baby wiggle/'puppy! puppy!'/baby giggle." The exploration is mutual: "Old dog sniffs/with old dog nose/baby fingers/baby toes" until they are down for the count, sleeping flat out on the floor. Raschka's illustrations add hilarity and an additional layer to the narrative. He includes different legs and shoes on the periphery of the page, and readers can guess who is entering and who is leaving the kitchen. The illustrator mirrors the minimalist verse with his simple brushstrokes of watery oranges, blues, and greens.