Merci Mister Dash!

PreS-Gr 1—Mister Dash is "unlike any hound in town." Not only does he seem to be an amalgamation of numerous breeds, but he also wears a waistcoat and reads the paper. He enjoys a quiet life with his owner, shopkeeper Madame Croissant. She likes gardening and collecting stamps, while he enjoys sleeping and showing off his fine manners. But each Sunday his world is turned topsy-turvy with the arrival of Madame Croissant's boisterous granddaughter. She gets on the dog's nerves, and he does his best to avoid her. However, one Sunday he cannot escape, which proves fortuitous when he saves her from an accident involving a runaway Radio Flyer and a crack in the sidewalk. Whether this leads to an improvement in their relationship is not clear, because the book ends with Mister Dash thinking about how nice the following day will be without Daphne around. The acrylic illustrations humorously portray the dog's irritation as well as Daphne's age-appropriate enthusiasm, but otherwise fail to lift the story beyond the framework provided by the text.—Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA