Dog and Bear: Three to Get Ready

Like its predecessors, the latest book starring these inseparable friends—a high-energy dachshund and multicolored teddy—contains three short, dynamic stories. In the first, titled “Uh-Oh,” Dog attempts to help Bear get a silver bucket off of his head, but his solution sets up another problem. In “Oops,” it's Dog's antics, bouncing on the bed, that stir up silliness, followed by a search for Dog's missing sock monkey in “Alphabetical Order.” The simple expressiveness of the friends' mutual concern and Seeger's inventive use of time and physical space (one page shows Bear making a soft landing pad for Dog using a sequence of six comic-style panels) adds to the duo's magnetism. Ages 3–7. (Sept.)