Henry and Mudge The first book of their adventures

ea. vol: illus. by Sucie Stevenson. CIP. Bradbury. 1987. PSS (cl.sp.) $10.95. Gr 1-3 Henry has no brothers or sisters, and no neighborhood kids to play with, so his parents let him choose a dog companion in Henry and Mudge . He selects Mudge, who grows out of seven collars and into a drooling hound weighing 180 pounds and standing three feet tall. The galumphing Mudge of these stories has appeal, and there is a knowing warmth in his and Henry's attachment, but the relationship can get a bit precious; the friendship gets a tad too dependent (``when Henry was at school, Mudge just lay around and waited. Mudge never went for a walk without Henry again''). The big animal/small person contrast is the draw here. The illustrationsblack line cartoon drawings in colorful washesfall down in creating a Henry who looks much different from many other cartoon boys, but Mudge is a lovable galoot and can express nuances of feeling both in his face and in his body actions. . . .Puddle Trouble works better than the first book in the series. The stories hereHenry's longing to pick a first Spring flower, Henry and Mudge's splashing in a huge puddle, and Mudge's protection of a box of five kittenshave some funny unexpected plot curves and give the pair a chance for some extended interaction. Mudge is still the lovably out-of-bounds pudding foot, sneezing and spraying his way through the full-color cartoons. Henry is less awkward looking this time out, but remains predictably cartoony and lacking in nuance. Kids will enjoy Mudge's well-intentioned goofiness, his fierce defense of the kittensas well as the puddle free-for-all with Henry and his dad. The somewhat flaky emoting that marred parts of the first book is pretty much gone from this round, and it's a good choice for the easy reading shelf. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A pair of easy readers about a small boy and his very large dog, Mudge, who grows through seven collars before attaining his full 180 pounds. The first book has the familiar plot: lonely boy gets dog, dog is lost, dog is found; but any dog- or boy-lover will chuckle over this pair. Rylant presents such realistic detail as Mudge drooling, loving dirty socks, and sleeping in Henry's bed in deceptively simple prose--easy to read but vividly evocative. The second book includes three events that take place in the spring: Mudge eats the first blossom, which Henry and his mother had carefully not picked, but is forgiven because it was "". . . just a thing to let grow. And if someone ate it, it was just a thing to let go""; Henry's father decides to jump into a glorious big puddle with Henry and Mudge instead of scolding them; and in the third story, Mudge adopts a litter of kittens. New illustrator Stevenson's delicately colored cartoon-like drawings are just right, capturing the affection and humor of the text. Warm, loving, and gently philosophical, these stories about an only child and his closest companion deserve a place in every library collection. Three more books are projected in the series. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.