ROTTEN RALPH'S ROTTEN ROMANCE

Clifford the Big Red Dog's feline evil twin confronts his worst nightmare: Valentine's Day. Anxious to avoid even the barest hint of propriety, His Rottenness counters the halo, wings, and little bow Sarah bestows upon him by smearing himself with garbage, squashing a stink bug in his valentine, breaking all the candy hearts at a party, and grossing out the host, Petunia, by rubbing dog food on his lips. Sarah, blindly adoring as ever, takes him home for a bath and a hug. Rubel's boldly colored and crisply drawn figures, in domestic scenes scattered with toys and memorabilia, reflect the story's in-your-face directness with wide gestures and unsubtle expressions. It's Ralph's eighth episode—and as Sarah's unrelenting forgiveness grows increasingly incomprehensible, the formula is starting to wear thin. (Picture book. 4-6)