Scritch-Scratch a Perfect Match

K-Gr 2—Marcus's first picture book explodes with sound on every page: "FLIT-FLIT flapped the flea in the scruffy dog's hair./'AAROOF!' howled the stray as he jumped in the air." The dog lands on a man; they both thwump down in a bog; they run for cover from a rainstorm to the general store, where they find just what this exceptionally intelligent canine was looking for. They also find, and adopt, one another. It's a light romp of a story whose sweet ending is lightened by a peek into the continuing adventures of the flea. While the rhymed verse is occasionally clunky, the galloping, emphatic pace makes the book fun to read aloud. Lester's watercolor and ink cartoons have a frowzy, kinetic appeal that's particularly apt in a story featuring a scruffy dog.—Susan Weitz, formerly at Spencer-Van Etten School District, Spencer, NY