School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A lovable shaggy brown dog tries time and again to cool off on a hot day but is shooed away every time he finds the perfect refreshment. The rhythmic language carries readers along as the poor pooch dives under the hose of a man washing a limo, sneaks into a kitchen sink at a baker's shop, stands in front of a florist's spray bottle, and jumps into a creek where he splashes mud on some nearby men. After each dousing, "Wet dog smiled his sorry-dog smile and wagged his sorry-dog tail. Then he flapped his ears, and he sniffed the air, and he trotted off down the road...pat-a-pat, pat-a-pat, pat." Careful observers will notice that wedding preparations are being made, culminating in a lovely ceremony by the lake, where the pup inspires a group to plunge into the water. Exuberant pencil-and-watercolor illustrations practically bounce off the pages in this delightful read-aloud. Children will appreciate the silliness of the characters' reactions when wet dog shakes himself off near them. This new-on-the-scene author and veteran illustrator have scored a hit.-Linda M. Kenton, San Rafael Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
"Catrow's ebullient spreads, from the shaggy brown fur and squinty shrouded eyes of the titular pooch to scenes that overflow with bubbles, flower petals and a dizzying cast of caricatured humans" will leave "readers clamoring for more readings of this brightly cadenced story," wrote PW. Ages 4-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
A dog keeps finding new places to shake out his wet fur; each time he gets shooed away he cheerfully moves on to the next victims, all of whom have something to do with a wedding. The too-wordy text encroaches on the caricatured art, but only a scrooge wouldn't appreciate the seemingly punch-drunk dog and the book's giddy, cathartic ending. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
"He was a good old dog and a hot old dog, as he lay in the noonday sun." How does a dog find relief on such a "too-too-too hot" day? By trotting along until he finds an open hose, or a sudsy sink or a cool mud hole. But the ensuing "shaky-shake, shaky-shake, shake" understandably prompts everyone in the vicinity to shoo him along. Children will laugh to see this rail-thin, frizzy-haired mutt bounding happily along from one cool spot to the next, leaving a trail of damp, muddy (but not too angry-looking) folk--until at last a baby's laugh after an impromptu shower persuades all and sundry to take flying leaps into the pond themselves. Catrow's in rare form here, well matched by Broach's lively prose. Here's can't-sit-still reading, in summer's heat--or any other time. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.