Prince for a Princess

Gr 2–4—Seven-year-old Christina loves dogs. Her parents take her to a kennel for retired racing greyhounds and end up taking one home. Prince is a great pet who loves to play and be around people; he quickly becomes a member of the family. One afternoon he escapes from the backyard and runs to school to wait for Christina. After that, the family gets a Chihuahua so that Prince isn't lonely during the day anymore. Simple black-and-white illustrations depict the action and help new readers understand the plot. As many children dream of having a furry, four-legged pet of their very own, the subject matter has broad appeal. The simple sentence structure and repetitive vocabulary combine to create a somewhat stilted text, but this is a fair choice where additional books for newly independent readers are needed.—Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN