Marley and the Great Easter Egg Hunt

K-Gr 2—The irrepressible and badly behaved golden Labrador is back for a spring adventure. His family is participating in the town's annual Easter Egg Hunt, but manic Marley isn't having much luck. He is always beaten to the eggs by children. He extends his search beyond the park and into the market, breaking and getting covered by a dozen raw eggs. The canine next visits the baker and ruins the cake he is frosting. A trip to a party store results in Marley being covered in ribbons. His hapless family and the irritated merchants chase him back to the park where the mayor is asking whether anyone found the special "eggstraordinary" egg. For some reason the mayor hid it under his hat, and in a twist that does not make much sense, Marley finds it, making him the winner of the festivities. The illustrations are unremarkable, and the wordy story isn't all that amusing. Strictly a marginal purchase.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA