Writer and illustrator Alison Murray blends the old nursery rhyme with an appealing story about a dog who doesn't want to leave the side of his human companion. "Hickory, dickory, dock. A dog, a boy." Although Zack orders Rufus to stay home, the frisky one tags along behind him to school. There he has a ball with the other kids. In the art class, Rufus get his coats spattered with paint and in garden class, he rolls around in a stack of leaves. By the end of the day, Zack has to clean him up. At bedtime, they are both tuckered out.

The rhyming text and the satisfying close relationship between Zach and Rufus will win many fans among children from ages 2 to 5 years of age. They will appreciate the playfulness of this dog who manages to make everything he does into a fun-filled adventure.