Smart Dog

One hot summer day, a farmer sits on his porch and imagines what it would be like if his dog were a genius, picturing the pooch conducting a string quartet and becoming a movie star.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-- This is basically one drawn-out joke with a punch line at the end, but it's done with enough liveliness and humor to make it enjoyable. Set in the country, the tale begins when an old man chastises his dog for lying on the porch instead of chasing a pesky rabbit. "If you were a smart dog, you'd . . ." is the repeated admonishment as the old man creates ever more grandiose accomplishments for the canine, from juggling to dancing to conducting a string quartet, etc. Finally, he muses out loud that they would be rich and famous enough to retire to a quiet country home where they could loaf. "I guess you're smarter than I thought," he says, since that's exactly where they are and what they do. Demarest's loose-lined, splotchy watercolors convey the spirited action of the old man's imaginings and invigorate the story. --Judith Gloyer, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Leemis's ( Mister Momboo's Hat ) amiable story of a dog and its daydreaming master celebrates the virtues of simplicity. A retirement-age narrator addresses his floppy-eared, gray-and-white pooch: "If you were a smart dog, you'd chase that rabbit." Warming to his subject, the man predicts that a canine prodigy could dance gracefully atop a piano, conduct a string quartet while juggling, travel via Concorde and make big bucks. Yet after the dog's master considers spending such a star's riches on a cozy country house, it dawns on him that he and his pet already lounge on the porch of an ideal home. A final illustration of the dog quietly juggling in the yard, out of human sight, confirms that it is indeed quite an accomplished pooch. Demarest's ( No Peas for Nellie ; My Little Red Car ) loose sketches, each roughed in with sunny watercolors, achieve an illusion of ease and effortlessness that matches the author's theme of happy leisure. This is a story where adult values win out, although children can easily respond to such escapades as the dog's leading a parade. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Comfortably ensconced in his porch rocker, the man addresses his dog--``If you were a smart dog, you'd chase that rabbit''-- and goes on to suggest less and less likely activities, from barely plausible tricks (``You'd dance on a drum'') to full-scale tall tale (``while you conducted your string quartet, the crowd would applaud as you juggled''), all resulting in fame, uproar, and wealth--which, in the end, would enable them to retire in ``a small house in the country for two,'' as they have already done. It's a slight variation on the familiar theme of recognizing the charms of home--but the story's considerably enlivened by Demarest's ebullient cartoon-style illustrations, rendered in dashing broad lines and cheerful watercolor; the pointy-nosed dog has an amusing gleam in his eye suggesting that at least he knows contentment when he sees it. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.