With just a “Woof! Woof!” Ben and Ellie’s new teacher has the class’s rapt attention. Riff, an inquisitive-looking canine, wags his tail. With glee, his observant charges wag their bottoms. When he scratches an ear, they scratch all over. The pupils, all human, happily spend P.E. digging and fetching, imitating Riff; and after a couple of sniffs, they know it’s lunchtime. Broadway’s charmingly simple illustrations capture the joyful curiosity of Ben and Ellie’s class as they accept the most silly of circumstances. In a number of spreads, she manages to display each child’s individuality, and during naptime, she masterfully invokes the sweet bliss of sleep that comes under the watchful eye of a loyal and trusted friend. The artwork establishes a rhythmic interplay between words and images, as they become compositional elements that inform and complement one another. Hayes’s playful text, with its call-and-response–like format and potty humor, will have young readers in stitches. The story begs to be read aloud in a group setting, but be prepared for giggles galore, as readers bark, pant and shake with Riff and company. A real crowd-pleaser. (Picture book. 3-6)
