RAGWEED'S FARM DOG HANDBOOK

A lovable farm dog named Ragweed pens a first-person guidebook that explains how to succeed on the job while earning lots of biscuit rewards.

Ragweed is so accomplished at his profession that he has written a handbook for aspiring farm dogs. He’s good at writing too, and he has clear objectives to get across to his readers. He describes the job of each farm animal, what will happen if a dog tries to do that job, and what the result in the biscuit-reward system will be. Each situation is funny in a different way, from charmingly amusing (sharing an extra biscuit with a fox) to laugh-out-loud hilarious (eating grass like cows leads to, er, a biscuit that can be eaten again). The satisfying conclusion finds Ragweed and the farmer sitting together on the porch at the end of the day, with the faithful, funny canine getting a biscuit just for being a good dog. Buoyant, fresh illustrations in acrylic paints are filled with bright green grass, flowers, fields, and farm animals in motion. But it’s Ragweed who is the heart of this delightful story, with his long snout and expressive, bulging eyes. He can’t hold himself back from getting into the territories of the other animals, but he knows how to have fun on the farm and still get what he wants while endearing himself to the farmer (and to readers).

Give that Ragweed an extra biscuit, or just hand over the whole box. A star deserves his just rewards.