Along Came Toto

Axworthy's lighthearted story introduces Percy, a dog who lived a peaceful existence until ``one day a brown box came, and out of the box came Toto.'' This blue-eyed, diminutive kitty seems harmless enough--but poor Percy doesn't relish the fact that he suddenly has a constant companion. When the put-upon pooch goes to play with his toys, ``along came Toto.'' When he goes to eat his dinner, ``along came Toto.'' And when we go out in the garden, ``along came Toto.'' Finally, ``Percy got grumbly and growly and gouchy. He grumped upstairs to bed.'' When Toto follows, the dog loses his temper and commands Toto to go away. But Percy is quite relieved to find the cat curled up next to him when he awakens from a nightmare, and tells his new friend ``I'm glad you came along.'' Axworthy's sprightly, pleasingly repetitive locution will have youngsters gleefully chiming in. Large-scale watercolor and pencil drawings give Percy and his pal a great deal of personality--and some decidedly comical countenances. Ages 3-up. (Mar.)