Little Critter：When I Get Bigger

In this funny, all-too-human picture book, Mercer Mayer's famous Little Critter dreams of the day when he will be big enough to go to first grade, dial phone numbers by himself, camp out in the backyard, or walk to the corner store. By the end of his energetic daydreaming, Little Critter is so tired he has to go to bed. As he himself admits, "I'm not bigger yet." It's a fine and familiar catalogue of what young children yearn for.

In this beguiling tale of danger and rescue, a young beagle-terrier mix named Ruby is pregnant, abused, and neglected. She escapes her abusive owner, vowing that her babies will not suffer at the hands of a cruel human. A police officer notices her nursing her pups at the side of a road and brings the new mother and her brood to the pound. A kindly man sees something special in her, and takes her home despite her fearful ways. Wary at first, Ruby eventually understands that her human really does love her, and she in turn admits that she loves him. Her dog's-eye view of human foibles...