I don't want a handbag dog.

A tail-not-meant-to-wag dog.

I just want a silly dog.

A sweet willy nilly dog.

A dog I can call MY DOG

While posh puppies may be all the rage, there's nothing better than a silly, sweet dog that you can call your very own. In this charming picture book, one little girl sets off in search of her perfect pup. Along the way she meets dogs of every shape and size, but ultimately, she knows when she's found the one that's just right for her. This heartwarming story celebrates in a playful and humorous way the special bond we share with our beloved canine companions.

"Dodd (What Pet to Get?) tours the world of canine temperaments and concludes that sweetest is best. A petite girl with a pert haircut and a flowered dress imagines herself the owner of various dogs, rejecting each in turn with cleverly turned verse: 'I don't want a posh dog./ A blow-dry-when-washed dog,' she says, wielding a hair dryer at a haughty poodle with a rhinestone collar. As she's pulled off her feet by a racing greyhound, she says, 'I don't want a speedy dog,' while on the next spread, a rotund dachshund goes to work on a hamburger and fries, as two others clamor for attention ('A greedy, pleady, needy dog'). The exaggerated characteristics and expressions of Dodd's dogs are giggle-inducing, while jaunty type and digitally manipulated areas of texture amp up the text's inherent energy and the dogs' personalities. When a wire-haired gray dog with floppy ears appears, joyfully circling around the girl, she reveals that she wants 'a none-too-proud or loud dog,' cuddling the newcomer as the others roar past, 'a know-me-in-the-crowd dog.' Plenty of fun for dog lovers. Ages 3 — 6. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

In this charming picture book, one little girl sets off in search of her perfect pup. Along the way she meets dogs of every shape and size, but ultimately, she knows when she's found the one that's just right for her. Full color.