How Dogs Really Work!

In this tongue-in-cheek manual, mechanical illustrations--complete with levers, pipes and springs--fancifully, if not always hilariously, clarify dogs' inner workings. Snow's ( The Monster Book of ABC Sounds ) dry, witty remarks supplement illustrations including a stem-to-stern cross-section of an all-purpose breed that exposes a network of sensors and tubing. Here, a tiny thermometer and fan are shown to power a dog's nose, a microphone is seen to occupy each ear and a front-loading washing machine depicts the stomach. One particularly, ahem, tricky area receives the innocuous label ``waste disposal.'' Neatly hand-printed text advances the blueprint effect, and later pages explore ``general maintenance'' of the dog (although a warning reminds owners to ``please refer servicing . . . to a qualified expert''). Despite the well-planned diagrams and agreeable drawings of grinning pets, the clinical, deadpan humor sometimes falls flat, and the concept of animal-as-machine seems contradicted by the presence of mini-pups that apparently monitor the canine controls. Clever as Snow's idea is, his execution falls short of its potential. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)