The Colin Thompson Collection

PreS-K—This whimsical collection by Thompson centers on two dogs, Fearless—a lumbering, bighearted bulldog who is quite the opposite of what his name implies—and Stanley. The four tales include Fearless, in which the not-quite watchdog timidly instructs a startled burglar that standing on the table is inappropriate behavior, thus awakening his owners and thwarting the theft; Fearless in Love, in which Fearless doubts his mother's wisdom after being reprimanded for "loving" the family's lottery tickets; Fearless: Sons & Daughters, in which Papa Fearless teaches his puppies about life's greatest dangers—vacuum cleaners, big black handbags, and the menacing "orange sharks" in the pond; and Stanley, in which listeners meet Stanley the dog and his four loves—his bed, dinner, a red rubber ball, and Gerald, his human. When fluffy little Lulu steals Stanley's beloved ball, it sparks a number of changes, including love number five. Thompson's dry humor and matter-of-fact narration are top-notch.