Motor Dog

PreS-Gr 2—A boy named Flip orders a computerized dog with "bonus features" from the Internet. When it arrives, he uses the remote control to take his new pet for a walk. Trouble ensues when it starts chasing a live cat. When the kitty climbs a tree, Motor Dog sprouts rocket blasters to zoom up after it. No matter how frantically he pushes the control buttons, Flip can't get the computerized canine to stop. When he loses his grip on the leash and starts to fall from the height of the tree, Motor Dog does the right thing and rescues its owner. Flip decides that he doesn't need all that electronic gadgetry and accepts his newly named Buddy as a regular dog. Cyrus's rhyming story moves along at a fast clip, with an occasional stumble-sometimes the sound effects printed in red are part of the verse, and other times they aren't. Gordon's creative use of perspective enhances the chase scenes. This light romp is an easy read for today's gadget-obsessed kids.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT