What at first appears to be a so-so book, becomes more in depth on the second and third reading. Little Brown is cranky. Little Brown is always cranky. None of the other dogs care to play with Little Brown, but is that because he doesn't reach out to them first?

And in reading, thoughts culminate of the opportunities lost when a gentle hello, or smile might make a difference. We will never know unless we try. And Cranky Little Brown is too self obsessed to invite others in the space. Alone, near the fence he pouts as he watches the others interact.

Then, Cranky Little Brown steals the toys from the other dogs. Each and every toy is taken and dumped in a large protected pile. Grabbing a ball, taking a tassel toy, biting the flying disk and pulling it out of the mouth of another dog, snatching a chew toy or a soft bed, all of these possessions can be accumulated and protected with a nasty snarl.

The book ends with all dogs going inside, but some are wondering if Little Brown is cranky because they ignore him. Or, perhaps they might become cranky by interacting with mean ole cranky Little Brown.

Tomorrow is another day, and the book ending calls us to wonder who will be the first to smile or offer a toy?

As always, the illustrations and text of Marla Frazee is a joy.

what will happen ... cranky dog story ( )

Little Brown is a cranky dog who does not have any friends. No one knows if he has no friends because he is so cranky or if he is so cranky because he has no friends. Little Brown decides to take all of the other dog's toys and stare everyone else down. He wonders if the other dogs will play with him if he gives the toys back or if they will treat him just the same. The other dogs wonder if he will give the toys back and if he will continue to be cranky or make them cranky. The dogs have a dilemma, but none of them can figure it out today. They all go inside when it starts to rain and decide to maybe figure it out tomorrow. ( )

Little Brown was a very cranky dog. The other dogs in the play-yard wouldn't play with him, and whether this was because he was cranky, or he was cranky because of this, the situation remained unresolved. When our canine anti-hero went on a stealing spree, amassing all of the other dog's playthings in a pile that he refused to surrender, it led to a face-off. Would the other dogs agree to play with Little Brown? Would Little Brown return the playthings...?

Readers expecting a sweeter, more stereotypical resolution of the story in Little Brown are in for a bit of a surprise, as all sides, pondering the issue, find it too difficult to resolve, and put off doing anything about it until the next day. On the one hand, this ending made me laugh out loud, with its realistic and very human anti-resolution of the crisis. On the other hand, I do wonder whether child readers, who often have a much more immediate sense of justice than their elders, would find it appealing and/or acceptable. Leaving the issue of story resolution aside, this was a cute exploration of feeling cranky and/or unhappy, and the social effect that this can have. Marla Frazee's artwork is, as is to be expected, darling, and increased my enjoyment of the book significantly. Recommended to Frazee fans, and to anyone looking for less-than-edifying children's stories about playground behavior. ( )

this has an unresolved ending. Good for discussion, but just not a positive ending to the story.