When new baby Carrie monopolizes mother's attention, Daniel creates an unusual imaginary playmate: Lucy, a ghost dog that he says was sent to him by Grandpa, who died last summer. Depicted in the otherwise straightforwardly realistic illustrations as shadowy and translucent, Lucy is a real comfort to Daniel, even though his mother soon realizes the importance of including Daniel in the baby's care. Like Scott's Sam (1967), this is a warmly appealing family story. A jacket note explains that the dog ghost, representing ""a departed loved one who returns to play a comforting. . .role,"" comes from the ""American Negro oral tradition.