A DOG CALLED BEAR

Young Lucy wants a dog but winds up with a bear—but she is under the impression it is a dog.

Ever since she took her first breath, Lucy has wanted a dog. She’s collected dog books, bought a dog bed, and planted a garden for the dog to rummage about in, and she will walk and love the dog forever. One day she takes the plunge. She goes looking for a dog. Not at the pound but casually, around the neighborhood. Despite her dog education, Lucy approaches the first creature she finds, a frog. Well, that won’t work because the frog needs a bath and Lucy has only a shower. Then comes a fox—but he can only be a part-time dog. Overhearing these exchanges is a bear reading a newspaper, who suggests to Lucy he is just what she wants. At first all goes well. Then Bear falls asleep for five months. He also digs a lot and eats way too much porridge. And fetching sticks? They feud, and Bear leaves. Instantly, Bear feels lonely. But so too is Lucy; she puts lost posters everywhere looking for Bear. They reunite. All is well. So what’s new? Not much. The minimalist artwork, which depicts the bear rather like a giant hamster and Lucy as a bespectacled white girl, is mildly amusing. But in the crowded arena of friendship books, this does not stand out.

If this is your first friendship book, it will do; if it is your second, pass.