Claude in the City
Claude is a small, plump dog who wears a beret and a lovely red sweater. He has a best friend, Sir Bobblysock, a striped sock who is grubby and smells a bit like cheese. In the first episode in Smith’s debut chapter-book series, Claude shops for berets before inadvertently preventing a crime at an art museum. The second episode sees Sir Bobblysock feeling rather unwell. Claude roller-skates him to the hospital and, while Sir Bobblysock is wheeled away for tests, Claude pretends to be a doctor and solves a mystery illness. The tiny trim size and duo-tone artwork, all shades of black, gray, red, and pink, give this UK import a distinctly retro feel (it appears to be set in the 1960s), and Claude—mostly head and snout—is an amiable, unintentional hero. The sentence structure here varies, from short and declarative to more complex, and the stories are longer than in typical books for transitioning readers. It’s cool and hip-feeling and, at times, quite funny. Kids who dig quirky Claude will await his next adventures. Grades 1-3. --Ann Kelley