The Dog Who Had Kittens

May 1, 1991
K-Gr 2- It was bad enough having Eloise the cat around. Now Baxter, an endearingly woeful bassett hound, must compete for attention with her seven brand-new kittens. Ignored and banished to the garage, he is naturally curious about the babies. When he finally finds them, hungry and helpless, temporarily abandoned by their mother, Baxter is furious. In an engaging role reversal, he becomes the babysitter during Eloise's frequent absences. Stevens's watercolor and charcoal drawings are delightfully expressive in their depiction of Baxter and the kittens, showing the world from the dog's-eye view. The story, which first appeared in Cricket magazine, is fairly long and often descriptive, but the unusual situation and large pictures should sustain the attention of older preschoolers and will definitely appeal to primary-grade children. -Ruth Smith, Chicago Public Library

January 1, 1991
Baxter, a basset hound, feels abandoned when Eloise the cat has seven kittens. One day Eloise leaves the kittens alone, and Baxter comforts them. From then on Baxter helps raise the kittens until they are big enough to be placed in homes of their own. Appealing illustrations add to the warmth of the story.

(Copyright 1991 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)