Sometimes, lightning strikes. "Harry the Dirty Dog" is brilliant from title to finish. It introduces a memorable lead character, a dog who hates to bathe. Who could fail to relate? Harry--impetuous, free-spirited--chooses to run away from home. He swims in sewage, he digs his face into a pile of ashes. He leaps through puffs of smoke at the railyards. (This inevitably makes me think of my son, standing by a puddle, pouring buckets of bilgewater onto his own head.) Harry's new freedom entails a complete transformation; his formerly white coat becomes black. There are only small "moons" of white--untouched fur--peeking through all the sootiness. Then--like Odysseus, like Joseph, in the Old Testament--Harry the Dirty Dog takes his disguise and returns home. Further chaos ensues. How difficult is this literary project? You try. Give yourself a range of 100 or 125 words. This is a standout book for kids.