Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog

March 27, 1995
``When you feel bored, you read a book. But dogs can't read,'' Miller points out. Lest people have all the fun, she's designed this chapter book with canine sensibilities in mind. Each tale is addressed to ``you good dog,'' enabling readers to speak directly to a pet. ``The Burglar'' testifies to the fierceness and bravery ``you'' exhibit after hearing a knock on the door; ``The Bone'' chronicles the history of a gift from ``your friend,'' including a dream sequence about a splendid ``bone tree''); and ``The Wild Dog'' is an adventure in which ``you'' frighten a car, chase a squirrel and triumphantly return home for a can of food and a nap. Kelley (I Really Want a Dog) sketches a floppy brown Everydog who wags attentively at the narrator's voice, then enacts each role of eating, sleeping and protecting the house; the illustrator's familiarity with doggy expressions and gestures serves Miller's volume well. Humans will find these selections entertaining even without a hound present-but it's always nice to share. Ages 7-10.