Hunky Dory Ate It

Evans's first book for children features a mischievous puppy whose eyes are decidedly bigger than his tummy. Short, staccato sentences relay the gluttonous dog's gastronomic adventures: ``Clara Lake / baked a cake. / Hunky Dory ate it.'' He then devours Kate Donetti's spaghetti; samples mud pies made by his young owner, Julie; steals a steak from a backyard grill; and dives into a tart prepared by Mr. Hart, the baker. After all this consumption, ``Hunky Dory's / stomach dragged. / His sturdy tail / no longer wagged.'' Julie rushes her pet to the vet, who gives the pup a dose of green medicine; alas, ``Hunky Dory hated it.'' Stoeke's ( Minerva Louise ; Lawrence ) suitably bare-bones, large-scale pictures convey the spunkiness of the eponymous pooch, who is especially endearing when his paws and ears are smeared with purloined food. The book's oversize type will be a boon to beginning readers. Ages 3-6. (Jan.)