From posh lapdogs to the ever-hungry chow, this funny collection of dog poetry describes the sheer essence of a dog's coolness. Includes a 22-song audio CD that salutes these classy canines. Illustrations. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Kirk (Go!) celebrates all things canine in this jokey, illustrated collection of 22 poem-songs, which he and an unembarrassable band perform on an enclosed CD. In Kirk's grainy caricatures, the pedigreed and mixed-breed dogs have human-like eyes and earnest smiles. Each piece takes a dog's point of view, from "Stay Out of My Yard!" to "Chasing My Tail." "Red Rubber Ball" confronts the audience with a full-bleed, close-up image of a dog holding a drippy ball in its jaws: "It's wet and it's sticky, and ready to throw./ I've chewed it for hours. How soon can we go?" "Purple Rhinestone Collar," performed as a blues song on the CD, pictures an offended-looking bulldog who has been forced to wear the fey accessory. "Lapdog" introduces a groomed toy dog ensconced in the lap of a dowager: "Feed me a bonbon; some cookies will do / A caviar sandwich? I'll share it with you!" A puppy laments being called a "Bad Dog," a hound misses its owners in "Howlin' Time" and a scruffy mutt praises its favorite sniffing spot in "Fire Hydrant" ("Every dog who's been here/ leaves behind a special scent./ I don't know where they've gone,/ but I can tell you where they went!"). A sleepy ballad, "Dog-Tired," closes the book and the folksy, mostly acoustic CD. Kirk's monotonous poems, most of them overlong and propelled by singsongy rhythms, will likely hold the interest of only the most sentimental dog lovers. Ages 3-8. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

K-Gr 6-In this oversized book, 22 lengthy poems, one per spread, run the gamut of dogginess. Rover delights in his sticky, red rubber ball. A puppy begs to be petted. An elegant lapdog enjoys her pampered lifestyle. Then there's the chowhound that is always hungry. A Chihuahua suffers from a poor body image and a terrier just wants to be loved. Canines catch Frisbees, go for walks, chase tails, are paper trained, and dig up bones. The selections are accompanied by bold, dynamic, full-page illustrations of expressive dogs. Kirk sings these clever selections on the accompanying CD. His voice is pleasant and the enunciation is clear. The varied instrumental styles such as rock, blues, and toy piano add another level of enjoyment to the book. This poetic canine tribute is sure to be a hit with dog lovers.-Linda Staskus, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 3-5. Kirk offers 22 rhymed exclamations of doggy devotion, from a puppy's obsession with being petted to a chowhound's passion for food, from one pooch offering a rubber ball slimed and ready to toss to another answering the musical question, Who's your best friend? And a musical question it is, for the verses are all sung, with midrange tempos and simple arrangements, on the enclosed CD. Despite the occasional grumble about a cat or a collar, the tone is generally cheery, as reflected in Kirk's big, directly-in-your-face portraits of smooth-furred, broadly grinning canines. The selections, especially in their recorded versions, tend to go on too long, but the pleasures of tail chasing, hanging out of a car window, gnawing bones, and taking walks past a fire hydrant ( Every dog who's been here / leaves a special scent. / I don't know where they've gone, / but I can tell you where they went! ) have never been captured with more slobbery exuberance. JohnPeters. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Dogs Rule!	5
Doghouse	6
Red Rubber Ball	8
Pet Me!	10
Lapdog	13
Chowhound	14
Squirt	16
Master, I Love You!	18
Stay Out of My Yard	20
Dog Walkin'	22
Chasing My Tail	24
No Dogs Allowed	27
Purple Rhinestone Collar	28
Dog-Bone Blues	30
The Wind's in My Whiskers	32
Roll Over!	34
Fire Hydrant	37
What's So Good About a Cat?	38
Bad Dog	41
Howlin' Time	43
Who's Your Best Friend?	45
Dog-Tired	46

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.