Gr. 1-3. When Henry's cousin Annie comes for a visit, she's timid around his big dog Mudge, shocked by his messy room, and disgusted by his smelly fish tank. She's not a bad sort, though, and just as she tries to get used to Henry's ways, he tries to see her point of view, "even though Henry could not believe a person would not like dog kisses." By the next day, Annie's loosened up and looking forward to another visit with cousin Henry and the ever-drooling Mudge. Simple and funny, this beginning reader has plenty of appeal. Stevenson's line-and-watercolor illustrations seem slapdash and informal yet manage to catch the right facial expression and body language time and time again. --Carolyn Phelan

K-Gr 3-When Cousin Annie visits, Henry isn't too sure how she'll react to big drooly Mudge-and is surprised to discover that she and Mudge have something in common: a talent for Frisbee. By Cynthia Rylant. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Henry and his big dog, Mudge, cheerfully anticipate cousin Annie's overnight visit, but this 'careful cousin' turns out to be the antithesis of both boy and dog. After discovering her talent for playing Frisbee, Annie begins to loosen up, and, by the end of her visit, Henry and Mudge have made a friend. Wry, understated humor and the recognition of the difficulties and rewards of making friends will win an instant audience for the book. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.