IN MY BACKYARD John DeVries Illustrated by Werner Zimmermann Richmond Hill (Ont.), North Winds Press, 1992. 28pp, cloth, $12.95 ISBN 0-590-73307-9. Distributed by Scholastic Canada. First edition reviewed vol. IV/1 Winter 1976, p. 28. Pre-school to Grade 1 /Ages 3 to 6 Reviewed by Linda Holeman Volume 20 Number 3 1992 May Pre-schoolers will enjoy listening to this unassuming rhyming book. The timeless theme - children and pets - will be familiar to many. A little boy finds a frog in the backyard, names him Jim, and then sets about finding him a home. Jim is not welcomed into the house by mom, dad, grandpa or sister, and the boy solves the problem by moving him in with Rover, the family dog. The read-aloud story has an easy lyrical tone that invites very young children to chant along. For example, the (unnamed) boy recites how Rover's dog house "with his bowl and my pail, with his box and my nail, with his rope and my ring, with his ball and my string," and soon, will now be shared with Jim. The predictable but satisfying ending shows a contented threesome outside the dog/frog house, and the boy's "Rover, you're a pal!" is confirmation that the child has not forsaken his old friend for a new one. Zimmermann's muted water-colours have a warm gentleness well suited to the simplic­ity of DeVries' theme. Linda Holeman, Winnipeg, Man.