SHAKE, WIGGLE & ROLL

A kinetic catalog of canine activities.

Photographer Davidson specializes in expressive, irresistible pet portraiture, a subject with natural appeal to the board-book audience. Over 20 pages, nine different dogs illustrate nine vocabulary words and phrases describing pet locomotion and play. The dogs model familiar actions over double-page spreads, set against clean, white backgrounds. Multiple images convey a sense of motion. Isis, a French bulldog, strides determinedly across one page, then the next. “Walk” is spelled out in a streaky type that suggests the speed of her gait. When mixed-breed Archie goes airborne, the “m” in the word “jump” gets air as well. Two drops of slobber drip from the word “lick,” as Duke, a long-tongued pit bull, works on a couple of those hard-to-reach spots on his muzzle. A dotted line indicating a curlicue trajectory accompanies shots of a mutt named Ziggy, on his back, on his side, and then righted; the text, “roll over” follows suit, with the second word inverted at the midpoint of the roll. His trick completed, Ziggy stares up as if to ask, “Did you get all that?” Other terms depicted are “wag,” “fetch,” “chew,” “sit,” and “shake.” The final two pages identify the cast by name and breed. A companion volume, Heads & Tails, replicates this formula with equal charm.

Will delight kids and caregivers alike.