Give the Dog a Bone

Kellogg's (Yankee Doodle) busy and buoyant art--rendered in colored ink, colored pencil, acrylic and watercolor--typifies his appealing style and kid-targeted humor. As his rhyming verse takes playful liberty with the traditional counting song of the title, full-page and panel illustrations introduce several old men, a handful of amiable kids and a canine cast that spans a variety of breeds. Kellogg depicts a colorful spectrum of scenarios: one old man, dressed in a cat costume, placates hounds with bones after they chase him into a tree; another thumbs his nose at the umpire who calls him out at home plate; a third steals six newly hatched chicks and, compounding his boorish behavior, refuses to hand out any bones. Supplementing the nonsense lyrics are lighthearted comments, presented in balloons, from both human and animal characters. As the tale winds down, the man who purloined the chicks returns to witness another hatching--this time eggs crack open to reveal ravenous raptors who announce, ""Now we'll tell you what to do: Give us bones or we'll eat YOU!"" Verse and visuals will send readers rolling back to page one to replay this romp repeatedly. Ages 3-7. (Sept.)