Ten dogs in the window for the whole wide world to see--all looking for a home. One by one, an equally diverse parade of customers passes the shop window . . . and stops . . and chooses the dog that is somehow the perfect match for them. The chant-aloud, rhyming text makes counting down great fun. Full color.
An assortment of dogs in a pet-shop window gets taken home one by one in this pleasing, if repetitious, counting book. Until the final dog, Masurel's (No, No, Titus!) text repeats the same rhyme, as each owner and dog pair up: "10 dogs in the window for the whole wide world to see. Look, someone is coming....[turn page] `You're the perfect dog for me!'" The very last (and most playful) dog, enthusiastically chosen by a child and his family, gets a more individualized treatment. Although the text holds no surprises, it is satisfying to see each dog get a home. Paparone's (Nobody Owns the Sky) witty, amusing acrylic paintings, somewhat resembling folk art in style, enable readers to anticipate which dog each person will choose: a mustachioed woodsman takes a dog with similar whiskers, a man in a kilt walks off with the Scottie, a hippie selects a similarly shaggy sheepdog. She also endows the dogs with distinct personalities, as they frolic, yawn, snooze and eye passersby. Such touches will make this tale a likely choice for repeated readings. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) Copyright 1998 Publishers Weekly Reviews
PreS-Gr 2 A countdown book that will be a winner at dog-themed storyhours. Ten dogs sit in a pet-shop window until one by one they are all chosen by people who bear a resemblance to them. The repetitive text "10 dogs in the window for the whole wide world to see. Look, someone is coming...You're the perfect dog for me!" will have listeners chanting along. The layout, which shows the pet-shop window on the right with the dog-free pedestrians approaching from the left makes for a guessing game that is not solved until the page is turned and the new companions are seen walking away while a new owner-to-be approaches. Among the dogs included are a dalmatian, a Scottie, a poodle, and sheepdog, although none are ever identified as such. The last dog in the window, a beagle, is taken home by a little boy and his family. The final illustration shows the pet-shop owner placing 10 cats in the now-empty windowfront. The full-page pictures, done in acrylic paint, are in perfect harmony with the text and give subtle clues that make the guessing game a bit of a challenge for very young readers. Maura Bresnahan, Topsfield Town Library, MA Copyright 1998 School Library Journal Reviews
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