Job Wanted
by Teresa Bateman, illustrated by Chris Sheban
Holiday House, 2015
An old farm dog seeking food and shelter, asks a farmer if he needs a dog. When told no, the dog asks if he had an opening for a cow. “Sure,” said the farmer, “but you’re not a cow.” The dog shows up the next day and herds the cows into place for milking. Again, the farmer says no to the dog, but agrees he could use a horse. While the farmer plows, the old farm dog dangles tasty carrots before the plow horse and work flies by. No, the dog was not a horse, says the farmer, but he agrees he could use a chicken. The dog cleans the chicken house and naps until the farmer came for the eggs. A fox appears…. Well, you can guess how it ends.
With warm drawings, repetition, and a dog pretending to be what he is not, it’s a delightful story, allowing readers the opportunity to call out the humor in each scene.