Mom’s the Word

A playful gray and white puppy with Yoda-esque ears can’t come up with the right word to attribute to the many tender, tasty, and joyful moments of his life. “It’s a word as warm as a good-night kiss” and that “tastes like an ice-cream sundae,” he says, drooling over a towering bowl of ice cream left unattended on a table. It takes a great many metaphors before the dog arrives at the missing word: “I know the word! The word is... ‘Mom!’ ” Littler’s playful mix of explosive colors and chalky outlines enliven an endearing but slight story of the multitudes that mothers contain. Ages 3–7. Agent: Jodie Hodges, United Agents. (Mar.)