FERGUS, Maureen

Sweet, clueless mutt Buddy meets a “strange-looking thing” inside a box in the living room, who introduces himself as Earl. Earl claims to be first a racecar, then a giraffe, then a sea urchin, then a talking hairbrush. Thinking hard, Buddy manages to refute each claim; then Earl (who is in fact a very clever hedgehog) “guesses” what Buddy is, ending his absurd list with: “I was joking…you’re a pirate, just like me.” Imaginative adventures ensue, involving—oops—the living-room furniture. Buddy is the one who gets in trouble with Mom, but Earl staunchly defends him. Buddy thinks about this awhile, and finally figures out what Earl is: “I think you are a friend,” says Buddy. “I think you are right,” says Earl. For such an unassuming and unpretentious little picture book—simple line and gouache illustrations in a limited palette and with minimal detail; a basic font; a small trim size