Bad Dog - Hardcover

Nina Laden grew up in the New York City area. Her mother was a painter and her father is a sculptor and special effects make-up artist. Her previous books include When Pigasso Met Mootisse and The Night I Followed the Dog. Nina lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and three stepsons.

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Bad Dog relates the events that occur as a result of finding a postcard advertising free-range chickens. What is a dog who was "starving for adventure, hungry for chicken" to do? He and his pal Butch set out for their "free lunch," become entangled with the authorities, and set their juicy sights on all those chickens. Eventually, the law catches up with him and it's jail for certain. While waiting for his family to come to get him out, he finds what he wanted-a bucket of fried chicken in the next room. The rollicking text is full of humorous innuendo. Similes that reflect a canine point of view ("The car growled like a pit bull"), twisted phrases (the ensuing chase is "pure poultry in motion"), and a first-person narrative in a deadpan style that resembles that of Joe Friday in the Dragnet TV series give this book a flavor all its own. The illustrations are equally funny, capturing all of the canine antics. The picture of the dogs looking into the pen is especially hilarious, as they view the birds in their cooked state but still with legs: chicken sandwiches, chicken pot pie, buffalo wings, etc. The endpapers featuring mug shots of other "bad dogs" is an additional bonus. Bad Dog is good fun.
Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.