Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat

PreS-K–Ruffles, a white puppy with personality, sports a black dot encircling his right eye (somewhat resembling Bullseye, the Target mascot). At the book’s beginning, nine vignettes show the small canine’s antics during his busy day: “howling,” “scratching,” “fetching,” and more. What stops him in his tracks is being outfitted with a new red coat. Since he “does not love” it, the bull terrier slowly but determinedly works until he manages to take it off and walk away, head held high, leaving the red coat in a heap. While he should wear his coat on a cold rainy day, Ruffles refuses. When he and his friend Ruby—who, by the way, is wearing a blue coat—are splashed by bigger dogs, Ruffles is chilled and too upset to play anymore. Ruby comes to the rescue and all ends well. The illustrations, drawn in pencil and colored digitally, are delightful, especially a run of several pages of small illustrations revealing the adorable pup with energy to spare.