Sad, the Dog

PreS-Gr 2—Grumpy Mr. and Mrs. Cripps receive a dog for Christmas from a friend. But the black-and-white mutt does nothing to ease their crabbiness. If anything, the dog's presence makes it worse. He is unwanted, although the couple do feed and clean him. They don't give him a name, however, other than Hey, you or Dog. The dog names himself Sad. His beautiful "singing" is seen as yapping by Mr. Cripps, and Sad is scolded. Mrs. Cripps screams when Sad digs in the garden, and when the newspaper gets torn, the pup just lies there being sad. One day the Cripps up and move, leaving Sad behind. He is lonely and howls the night away, but Sad's luck is about to change. The next day a new family moves in, and the young boy, Jack, is excited to see that their new home comes with a dog. Sad is a bit wary, however. Nevertheless, with some coaxing by his new friend—as well as clean water, walks, and treats—Sad is soon running, digging, barking, and playing. He likes his new name, too—Lucky. The watercolor illustrations nicely capture the expressions of the characters in the story—from Sad's dejection to the Crippses' squinty-eyed crabbiness to Jack's delight at meeting his new friend. The layout is balanced, and the book will be easy to use in a storytime setting.