cover image Ten Dogs in the Window

Ten Dogs in the Window

Claire Masurel, C. Masurel, P. Paparone. NorthSouth, $15.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-1-55858-754-0

An assortment of dogs in a pet-shop window gets taken home one by one in this pleasing, if repetitious, counting book. Until the final dog, Masurel's (No, No, Titus!) text repeats the same rhyme, as each owner and dog pair up: ""10 dogs in the window for the whole wide world to see. Look, someone is coming....[turn page] `You're the perfect dog for me!'"" The very last (and most playful) dog, enthusiastically chosen by a child and his family, gets a more individualized treatment. Although the text holds no surprises, it is satisfying to see each dog get a home. Paparone's (Nobody Owns the Sky) witty, amusing acrylic paintings, somewhat resembling folk art in style, enable readers to anticipate which dog each person will choose: a mustachioed woodsman takes a dog with similar whiskers, a man in a kilt walks off with the Scottie, a hippie selects a similarly shaggy sheepdog. She also endows the dogs with distinct personalities, as they frolic, yawn, snooze and eye passersby. Such touches will make this tale a likely choice for repeated readings. Ages 3-6. (Oct.)