Chick 'n' Pug Meet The Dude

PreS-K—The characters introduced in Chick 'n' Pug (Bloomsbury, 2010) love having exciting adventures and being superheroes, but sometimes they just like to relax, play with Pug's toys, and nap. One day, they awake to find their favorite toy missing. Chick immediately sets out to find Squeaky Hamburger, and Pug stays behind to keep an eye out for the thief and snooze some more. The culprit turns out to be The Dude, a new dog in the neighborhood, huge, hairy, and slobbery. By this time, Squeaky Hamburger has turned into Squishy, Slimy Hamburger, and Pug and Chick eagerly relinquish it to their large but friendly new acquaintance. The back cover shows Chick swimming in The Dude's water bowl and Pug happily doing his favorite thing-napping-and in the foreground are enormous paw prints circling both intrepid friends. Done with acrylics and colored pencil, the illustrations are humorous and wonderfully drawn; although huge, there is never any doubt that The Dude is friendly and playful. Chick's tiny size and greatly exaggerated facial expressions add to the fun. A storytime winner and a great choice for dog lovers.—Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA