Get Along, Little Doggies

Buster goes to Cowboy Camp
By Denise Fleming
Henry Holt

I read this book out loud to our road dog Molly to see what she thought. She loved the colorful pictures, and she always likes to look at other dogs, but I have to say she wasn't fond of the subject matter in this one. It's about a cute dog named Buster, whose owner is going away and so decides that Buster will go to "cowboy camp" at Sagebrush Kennels. (Molly doesn't even like to IMAGINE being away from us two - her pack).

Well, Buster doesn't like the idea either, and he is lonely and homesick at first...but guess what? He smiles at another dog one morning, eats some breakfst, does some canine arts and crafts and plays some games - before the reader can say "Yee Haw!, Buster is having a fantastic time.

Obviously kids can relate to this toddler-type separation anxiety, so it's a great book for that, but it's also just a good solid story to read aloud. And I can tell that Denise Fleming had great fun doing the pictures, showing the dogs playing Buckaroo Ball, gathering sticks for a fire and "paw painting" their very own "Wanted" posters.