Fearless in love by Colin Thompson

Ill. by Sarah Davis. ABC Books, 2012. ISBN 9780 7333 2951 7.
(Ages: 5+) Picture book. Animals. Fearless has been told by his mother 'life is much nicer if you love everyone', and so he sets out to do this when he arrives at his new home. But his idea of love is definitely not the same as his owners, as he causes mayhem and mischief throughout the house. He loved his new bed so much that he eats it, and his mother's lovely orange jumper is just the thing to chew to bits, while chewing socks, slippers, homework also makes them cross. But when he chews up the lottery tickets, he is banished to the garden.
In the garden, the birds help him see the error of his ways, and when a bunch of earth is tossed near him, another dog emerges  from the garden next door. Fearless now realises what real love is.
All the while of course, the sheepish, endearing dog looks out at the reader with big sloppy brown eyes, and simply impels the reader to keep reading. The disarming illustrations are a treat and add another dimension to Thompson's lovely story of finding your place in the world. This is a charming companion story to that of Fearless, produced by the same team in 2009.
Fran Knight