Homer (review)

It's summertime, and Homer, the big yellow lab, stretches out comfortably on the porch right from the start of the day. The other dogs invite him to "chase and race around the yard," but he demurs; the little girl tries to coax him to check out the field, but he politely passes ("Thank you, but no"); and so on. When the wanderers return at the end of the day, he hears their stories with kindly approval. Finally, he silently stretches and heads into the darkening house for supper and a cozy sleep on an armchair in the living room, noting that he has everything he wants: "I have you." This reads like a tribute to a beloved canine elder statesman, and though it's a pretty low-event story, kids living with their own adored older dogs will appreciate the doggy perspective, expressed with simple sweetness, on a quietly enjoyable day. Cooper's watercolors balance lightness of palette with geometry of composition, as the patterned regularity of the porch backgrounds image after image; the low horizon line emphasizes both the low canine viewpoint and the wide-open world of a summery beach stay. The concept is a little abstract for younger picture-book audiences, but the simple text is a natural for reading alone; it could also make a splendid reading-out-loud duet with kids hamming up the roles of eager adventurer and contented porch-sitter.