STORIES ABOUT ROSIE

The celebrated writer of books for older children tells four humorous stories about the family dog--from the dog's point of view. The first two describe Rosie's attitude towards life: the family's job is to serve Rosie's meals, keep her water bowl filled, take her for rides in the car, and find her when she explores; Rosie's job is to be happy and bark at appropriate occasions (she is not always clear about this). More effective are the second two stories, which have definite plots. In one, Rosie stubbornly observes the barking rule (don't bark at things in the house), despite all attempts by the family to make her break it so they can get rid of an invading bat. The final story is a pastoral sequence in Maine, when Rosie has a gentle encounter with a buck. Although a little cute, translating Rosie's barks into English accommodates the use of short, occasionally choppy and monotonous sentences, exactly suited to a very literal-minded dog, as well as to a reader just beyond beginning readers. The illustrations of Rosie are funny and believable, those of her human family merely cartoonish.