Hangdog

Readers have probably passed a hound like Hangdog often but just never noticed him. No one ever notices him, not even a whale in the high seas. Hangdog is the loneliest dog in the world, and he wonders whether it's his voice or his doggy looks. Sad and friendless, he decides to sail awaya and so builds himself a boat from a grandfather clock, a broomstick, a garden shovel and other useful accessories. In the middle of the sea, he feels alone but not lonely; then a storm hits and sweeps him off to a distant shore. A tiger chases him across a desert island, and Hangdog, ""out of places to go,'' decides that he's prepared to be eatenhe won't be missed anyway. ``Not on your life!'' says the tiger, who himself has been waiting for a friend like Hangdog for a good long time. Round tells his story of a no-longer-lonesome pooch in a comic-strip style of squiggles and scribbles, and readers learn as much about Hangdog in the droll pictures as they glean from the text. An adventure that is both hilarious and touching. Ages 3-7. (October)