I AM THE DOG

This amiable and impressive walk for Pinkwater breezily showcases his skill as a comic storyteller and how that skill is a smooth handoff to an illustrator. The premise here is simple: Jacob, a boy, and Max, his dog, swap places for a day. Rather than get the story all in a twist with a world turned upside down, the author deadpans it. “Max threw a ball. I ran after it. He threw it again. I went after it again. He threw it again. I went after it again. For some reason, I never got tired of doing that.” Max clearly likes his new diet—bacon and eggs, spaghetti and meatballs—though doing his homework twice (Jacob ate the first copy) doesn’t bring a smile to his face. Meanwhile, Jacob is in heaven: tearing about the yard, visiting the park, eating kibble, tearing about the yard once more. Davis keeps the dry humor right up on the surface, the tone bright—there is a whole lot of beaming on Jacob’s part—but not frantic. A very snug collaboration; must have been the homework that tipped it. (Picture book. 4-8)