“BAILEY,” by Harry Bliss, Scholastic Press, Aug. 1, 2011, $16.99 (ages 4 – 7)
Bailey isn’t your average student. He’s not even a person. He’s a dog! But that doesn’t matter, he loves school.
Bailey wants to be a good student, but he also tends to eat his own homework. When will he ever learn?
Luckily, he makes it back to class for sharing and math — two of his favorite things. Then it’s lunch, art and recess, followed by gardening, music and dance.
Bailey tends to frequently get in trouble. It’s not his fault, really, he just gets distracted easily. It’s a pretty common occurrence for a dog. But everyone loves this doggy with a short attention span, he’s just so loveable.
Presented as a comic strip of sorts, there’s a lot going on on every page of “Bailey.” In addition to the text at the bottom or top of each page, there are also thought and voice bubbles. Because of that, it may be a little too busy for the publishers’ suggested beginning age of 3. Ages 4 to 7 seem more reasonable.
As a whole, “Bailey” seems a bit all over the place, with references only adults would understand.
“Bailey” is, however, a fun book that will appeal to children who have pet dogs of their own. They will appreciate doggy-centric high jinks that non-pet owners may not appreciate.
