THAT KIND OF DOG

Mary Constance has a problem with her dog, Bramble. He refuses to walk on his leash, instead sitting or lying down and refusing to budge. Each time Bramble does this, Mary Constance shouts at him. Although this is illustrated in a realistic way, with a full facial view of the girl with her mouth wide open, it does not make her the most appealing character on the overcrowded shelf of picture books about cute puppies and their young owners. Eventually the little girl learns to use bribery to get her dog to walk on the leash, first with a trail of dust bunnies and then with pieces of meat, and finally she resorts to wheeling Bramble along in a baby stroller as her entry in a local dog parade. In both his behavior and in the way he is portrayed in the illustrations, Bramble is a likable character, but Mary Constance is not, and she is downright annoying in her screaming scenes. Plodding dialogue, unexceptional illustrations and the lack of a strong main character make this a less-than-engaging effort. (Picture book. 3-5)