Move Over Rover

Beaumont, Karen. 2006. Move Over Rover. Orlando, Florida: Harcout, Inc.

Rover, the dog, is in his doghouse all alone and chewing on a bone when suddenly it begins to rain. The cat, the raccoon, the squirrel, and many other animals convince Rover to let them squeeze into the tiny, yet warm and dry doghouse. All of the sudden they smell something foul and notice the skunk is trying to join them. They immediately run out of the doghouse leaving the skunk in the only dry place. After the storm, the animals look for Rover when they notice that he is all alone in his warm and dry doghouse.

The rhythmic and flowing words in this book almost make it impossible not to sing as you are telling this story. The repeating pattern for each animal entering the doghouse make it fun and predictable for any young child. The illustrations are large, bold, and clearly magnify the expressions and stories of each animal. Early in the story, the images foreshadow what will happen by displaying small images of the skunk "checking out" the warm and dry doghouse. This book would be a must have in any young child's collection.