"The Trouble with Dogs..." Said Dad (review)

In this sequel to "Let's Get a Pup!," Said Kate (BCCB 9/01), Kate and her parents are largely content with their shelter acquisitions, huge, placid Rosy and small, obstreperous Dave. Since Dave's uncontrolled energy is a bit of a problem, they seek help from the Pup Breakers service, but they then find that they miss the old troublemaking Dave; fortunately, it's hard to keep an ebullient pup down, and Dave not only bounces back but charms the martinet dog-trainer with his effusiveness. While the notion of manners taking away a dog's—or person's—essential spark isn't a new one (and it's a lot less appealing in real life than in books), this is a vivacious and endearing story rich with affection for both the human and animal members of its subject family. Graham has a splendid ear for the laconic storytelling phrase (Dave embarks on a particular string of mischief "just to show it could be done"), and it does make sense that a crisply obedient Dave wouldn't really fit into this easygoing, contentedly lackadaisical crowd. The line-and-watercolor illustrations quietly emphasize the happily higgledy-piggledy nature of the family, with shoes and toys scattered about their living space, and technical effects such as sequential spot art and shifts into monochrome are deftly employed. Ultimately, this is about the joy of sharing space with dogs, and animal-loving youngsters will revel in the poochness of it all and yearn for their own Dave and Rosy equivalents.