GIRL

Girl is a dog (yay!) who understands 4000 words (wow!), having been taught by sweet old hillbilly E. J. Riddle (aww. . .). Mr. Riddle figures Girl to be a natural for the Don Derry Tonight TV show (""when I seen Mr. Derry a few weeks ago with the rabbit that tap-danced""), and he's durn right: Girl is such a hit (hurrah!) that sick, slick Don Deny (boo!) is so jealous that he puts out a contract on Girl (hiss, hiss). Girl survives, but, having been Taught about Hate by Don Derry, she turns mean and growly (oh, no!), depressing Mr. Riddle and making him and Girl disappear. ""Little Girl,"" however, is on the canine horizon, good news since ""People want to believe. They believe in that dog."" Miracle on 49th Street? Well, if they throw in Edmund Gwenn, Natalie Wood, and the dog with every copy of this cartoon-y, paper-thin ""book,"" just maybe it might be worth $5.95. And maybe not.