ALA Booklist (Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1997)

A little boy playing outdoors tries his best to make a dog go away, but the friendly pooch gradually wins him over. Emergent readers, who may feel the same way about dogs as the little boy does, will love seeing how the dog lures the boy into playing (I don't want that stick. Don't give it to me. If I throw the stick, will you go away?). Nodset (aka Joan Lexau) packs a lot of story into remarkably few words, with only one or two sentences per page. The reissued story is accompanied by engaging, full-color illustrations showing an African American boy and a Heinz 57 dog with a constantly wagging tail. (Reviewed Aug. 1997)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2--A little boy doesn't like dogs until a friendly, white pup with black spots convinces him to reconsider his opinion. The dog does tricks, runs, and plays until the child takes him home. First published 30 years ago, the book is now in a "My First I Can Read" format. New, engaging, watercolor illustrations reflect the simple spirit of a youngster finding a new friend in a persistent canine. With its controlled vocabulary, this will be a surefire hit with emergent readers, a group always in need of a quality story.--Pamela K. Bomboy, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 1997)

In a simple, repetitive text a young boy, approached by a stray dog, insists that he doesn't like dogs--'Big dogs, little dogs. Any dogs at all'--but the irrepressible pup eventually wins him over. Though the full-color cartoon drawings in this edition are not quite as charming as Crosby Bonsall's original artwork, the book retains its appeal.