The Biggest, Meanest, Ugliest Dog in The Whole Wide World by Rebecca C. Jones

Illustrated by Wendy Watson. 32 p., Macmillan, 1982.

Jonathan lives next door to Pirate, a very scary dog. Although he does all he can to avoid Pirate, one day he is surprised and terrified to find himself alone with him. He throws a ball at Pirate, who responds by playing with him. Once Jonathan gets to know Pirate, Pirate looks and sounds a lot less scary. This story not only shows children that something that seems scary is not so frightening when seen from a different perspective, but also, more metaphorically, shows kids that if they make friends with their fears, they'll be less scared.

Ages 3-7