Polly Molly Woof Woof

As a prefatory note puts it, this compact volume is ""as much a game as a story."" The premiseDthere isn't really a plotDis that Molly the dog has been taken to the park by her owner, Polly, on one ""lovely happy sunny summer day"" for what quickly turns into a major doggie convention. As Molly meets each new comrade, readers are asked to sniff or bark. ""Just look at all these dogs, and sniff just like they do,"" writes Lloyd (Grandma and the Pirate) on one page. Elsewhere he instructs, ""Try both kinds of barking: the loud woofs and the bouncy ones. Make both kinds sound as happy as you can."" Hard's (One Green Island) panoply of dog portraits brims with that goofy and uniquely canine joie de vivre. With its emphasis on audience participation, Lloyd's text would seem ideal for a librarian or teacher looking for an ice-breaking read-aloud. However, the small format and the frequent use of panel illustrations are at odds with such a use, as is one extremely text-heavy spread (containing such prose as ""I can certainly feel what the happiness felt like on that lovely happy sunny summer day, can't you?""). Adults wishing to share this book at home will need a high dose of energyDand they can expect a rambunctious response. Ages 3-8. (May)