C'Mere, Boy!

C'mere, Boy! By Sharon Jennings. Illustrated by Ashley Spires. 2010. [February 2010]. Kids Can Press. 32 pages.

Dog wanted a boy. He asked his mama, "Can we get a boy? Can we? Please? Can we?" Dog's mama looked around the doghouse and said, "We don't have room for a boy. And who would take care of him?"

Dog is a pup who really, really wants a Boy. A boy all his own. The text shows him to be desperate for a Boy. Some of these situations are so absurd because of the twist, but it works in its own odd little way.

For example,

On Friday, Dog told his mama he was going shopping. "I'm not coming home until I find a boy," he said. First, he went to the mall. A sign read, NO DOGS ALLOWED! Dog was ordered off the premises. Next Dog went to the park. A sign read, DOGS MUST BE ON A LEASH. Dog was chased away.

The twist, in case you couldn't tell, was that it is a dog wanting a boy instead of a boy wanting a dog. It's the dog who wants to own the boy, train the boy, love and feed the boy. Will this dog ever find a boy?

This one is a bit text-heavy in places. So depending on your little one's attention span, it might be for the older picture-book crowd. (Maybe Pre-K to K?)

© Becky Laney of Young Readers