A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose

December 7, 2009
Undaunted by her parents' objections (“We're just not ready for a dog”), Amelia develops a plan to acquire a pooch, then works it with finesse. She invents an imaginary dog named Bones (seen in a dotted outline), spends a week coaching her parents through imaginary dog ownership (“Shut the door so Bones won't get out!”), then “loses” him. From there, it's a short trip to the shelter to look for Bones—and, lo and behold, there he is (“f anybody asks, your name is Bones,” she whispers to her dream dog after her parents cave). Though newcomer Hunter's digitally created paper doll–like figures don't attract much visual interest, smart use of small details conveys Amelia's dog-obsessed home life. Inset panels and vignettes liven up the pages, too, along with occasional typographic accents. “We may never be ready, but Amelia certainly is,” says her mother, summing up the loving parental acceptance that Stuve-Bodeen (the Elizabeti's Doll books) captures so nicely. While Amelia's airtight logic might not work in real life, young readers will enjoy participating in her success. Ages 3–6.

January 1, 2010
K-Gr 3-Amelia wants a dog. When her persistent requests are repeatedly denied, she begins to pretend that she has a dog named "Bones," and gradually her mother and father go along with the game. Then, when her pet "gets lost," there is nothing for them to do but help Amelia find him. The search leads to an animal shelter and a real Bones to take home. The final spread, "Amelia's Guide to Getting Your First Dog," dispels any doubt that the child's actions were deliberate. Amelia is an endearing character, and Hunter's portrayal of her perfectly matches Stuve-Bodeen's text. The digitally enhanced, cheery pictures are airy and use simple shapes and colors. The almost comic-book format takes the eye quickly from one part of the page to another, leading readers through the story. This title is a good choice for a one-on-one read-aloud or for children to enjoy on their own."Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2009
Grades K-2 Rarely have children been offered such a devious strategy for landing a mutt. Amelias daily refrain is unusually specific: May I have a small brown dog with a wet pink nose? She has doggy scrapbooks, doggy slippers, and even doggy diagrams (complete with arrows indicating both the animals smallness as well as the pinkness of its nose). Her parents gamely answer her questions about naming, walking, feeding, and sleeping with a dog, and they even admit that if a dog was lost, theyd look for it. The next day, Amelia acts as if an invisible dog now lives with them. Illustrated with dotted lines, this pretend pooch then gets lost, at which point Amelia convinces her parents to search for him at the animal shelter . . . and you can see where this is headed. The concepts are complicated but clear, and Hunters patterned illustrations are appropriately unpredictable, with nearly every page design different from the last. Plenty for kids to pore over while hatching their insidious plots.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2010
Her parents don't want a dog, but that doesn't stop Amelia from hatching a well-thought-out and -executed plan to get her heart's desire. Colorful, skillfully composed illustrations chronicle Amelia's scheme, from hypothetical questions to an imaginary dog to searching for said imaginary dog at the animal shelter to bringing a real dog home. Fellow dog-owner-wannabes will be in awe.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)