Harry the Dirty Dog
"Harry was a white dog with black spots who liked everything, except  getting a bath." Taking matters into his own paws, he buries his family's  scrubbing brush in the backyard and runs away from home before they can wrangle  him into the tub. Harry gets dirty playing in the street, dirtier at the  railroad, and dirtier still playing tag with the other dogs. When sliding down  the coal chute, he actually changes from a white dog with black spots to a black  dog with white spots! Of course, by the time he gets home he is completely  unrecognizable to his family--even when he does all his clever flip-flopping  tricks. In a stroke of doggy genius, he unearths the bath brush, begs for a  bath, and the rest is history. Youngsters will completely relate to the urge to  rebel, the thrill of getting dirty, and, finally, the reassurance of family.  Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham'sHarry the Dirty Dog, first published  in 1956 and now rereleased with splashes of color added by the artist herself,  is one of those picture books that children never forget. (Ages 3 to 8)--Karin Snelson