In this follow-up to Aggie and Ben (2006), everything seems to be going well between a boy and his dog, except Aggie the pooch doesn't really listen . . . at all. The final straw comes when Aggie eats Ben's homework. Off he goes to obedience school, and by the end, he becomes a pro at sitting, staying, and fetching. The strong design features subtle colors, well-used white space, and fun, somewhat abstract illustrations reminiscent of Quentin Blake and Oliver Jeffers' work. Kids will look forward to more from this endearing pair.

After Humpty falls off his famous perch, his trench coat-wearing detective brother, Joe Dumpty, sets out to prove that he was pushed. Miss Muffet (a.k.a. Muffy), Chicken Little, and the Big Bad Wolf are all suspects. The story, including loads of puns (Humpty: "I'm shell-shocked") and comic strip-style panels with dialogue balloon commentary, goes down over-easy.

Chaos erupts in the canine classroom when rambunctious Aggie attends obedience training. When Aggie is expelled from dog school, Ben tries to independently teach his pet, but neighborhood distractions overwhelm the pooch. Active Aggie won't sit or stay until the boy finally pays heed to his blind neighbor's advice and substitutes playing fetch for rigid commands. Ben proves to be the responsible pet parent in the anticipated conclusion when he maturely announces, "You are not a bad dog. But you must learn." Slightly more complex in sentence structure and narrative than its predecessor ( Aggie and Ben , 2006), this three-chapter story comically explores the budding friendship between a rowdy pet and her young owner. Dormer's exaggerated angular designs capture the frenzy in calculatedlydisproportionate cartoons. Pen-and-ink and watercolors combine thin lines and bold colors to energize Aggie's antics. While undisciplined, Aggie is one lovable pup; with a slight turn of her large head and a flip of her lopsided ears, she demonstrates why dogs are known as children's best friends. (Early reader. 6-8)

PreS-Gr 2 This early chapter book about a disobedient dog has plenty of humor and charm. Ben experiences a ton of trouble with his feisty friend, Aggie. While her antics are not particularly original, they will capture the interest of young readers, especially dog lovers. After the canine is dismissed from obedience school, the boy embarks on a training program of his own, determined to teach his pet to sit and stay. But Aggie chases a squirrel and a cat, and she goes wild in a hat store when she interprets her own image in a three-way mirror as three other dogs. Blind Mr. Thomas understands Aggie and advises patience. The quirky cartoon illustrations are delightful. For independent reading, this title works well with Maggie Stern's Singing Diggety (Scholastic, 2001). For a read-aloud unit on well-behaved and incorrigible canines, consider using Aggie with John Grogan's Bad Dog, Marley! (HarperCollins, 2007), Barbara M. Joosse's Bad Dog School (Clarion, 2004), and Lois Ehlert's Wag a Tail (Harcourt, 2007). Gloria Koster, West School, New Canaan, CT