All She Wants to Do is Dance

Tulip Loves Rex by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Sarah Massini (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins Children’s Books, 32 pages, $17.99)

“From the moment she was born, Tulip loved to dance.”

This colorful children’s book charms the reader with illustrations that beautifully capture the engaging text by Alyssa Satin Capucilli. Illustrator Sarah Massini uses swaths of soft colors and sparingly-applied dark lines to bring to life the little girl Tulip and Rex – a doggie she meets in the park.

Tulip expresses her joy by twirling and whirling from early morning until bedtime. Her parents are amazed by their daughter. One day the three of them go for a walk to the park. In the park Tulip sees a big yellow dog with a red tag hanging from his collar announcing that his name is Rex and that he is not like other dogs.

Rex doesn’t respond when Tulip tries playing the usual games that dogs respond to like fetch and tag. She tells him that it’s fine if he is not like other dogs. Tulip then dances and twirls around the grass. Rex joins her with much enthusiasm, matching her moves with his own version of dancing.

When it’s time to go home, Tulip makes a discovery. Rex needs a home. Can you guess what happens next?

Highly recommended.

Ruta Arellano

A review copy was provided by the publisher.

This book – which will be released on December 23, 2013 – is recommended for children who are in preschool and up to 3rd grade. “Perfect for bedtime and for any child who dances through life or dreams of having a pet as a best friend.” Amazon

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Little Puppy Says Woof!

Little Puppy Says Woof! by Phoebe Dunn (Random House Books for Young Readers, $8.99, 14 pages)

As a cat, I’m not the biggest fan of dogs, but even I know that puppies are adorable!   Toddlers will love this story of Charlie the Cocker Spaniel puppy who is adopted by a boy named Tim.   We see that Charlie is at first lonely for his brother and sister puppies, but eventually he learns to sleep with a plush stuffed toy dog “brother”.   Tim’s a good kid who knows enough to take Charlie to the vet right away for a check-up.

Charlie learns to chase a ball, although he’s not perfect.   He does like to chew on house plants and run in piles of freshly raked leaves.   But he’s a natural swimmer, so he becomes the furry companion to Tim and his grandpa when they go out on the lake in a rowboat.   Charlie’s such a good dog that Tim knows that he and Charlie will be the best of friends forever.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this book comes with a button that can be pressed whenever you want to hear Charlie’s bark.   It’s a great feature that may not be appreciated by other cats.

This review was written by Munchy Arellano.   Yes, he’s a cat.   (Reprinted courtesy of Sacramento Book Review.)