Pick of the Week: Dog Biscuit

A relative of mine once reached for her bottle of medicine and by mistake picked up the wrong bottle of pills. Without knowing, she swallowed her pet dog's antibiotic pill by mistake. When she discovered this error, she panicked and called the Poison Control Center. The operator on the other end of the telephone line said, "Don't worry, you won't wake up barking!" and then assured her that she would be just fine (and added a lesson to double check all medicine bottles labels prior to taking any medicine!). So, when the new picture book, Dog Biscuit by Helen Cooper arrived in the library last week, I immediately thought of my relative's mishap. 

Dog Biscuit by Helen Cooper (Doubleday, Random House) tells the story of little, hungry Bridget who finds some biscuits in the shed and eats one. This biscuit, however, is meant for the dog and not for little girls. When Mrs. Blair discovers that Bridget has eaten a dog treat, she jokingly tells her that she'll end up barking and turn into a dog! Little Bridget, however, doesn't realize that Mrs. Blair is only joking. She begins to worry that she really will turn into a dog and begins seeing signs of this inevitable occurrence everywhere! Young children often believe things literally, so this story will appeal to young listeners. The story is at once funny, sympathetic, and reassuring.