Fluffy and Baron
PreSchool-Grade 1–One summer day, someone new waddled into Baron's life. Her name was Fluffy. And so begins this sweet story about the friendship between a German shepherd and a duckling. Baron comes to love her and is bereft when spring comes and she joins the wild ducks on the pond. After they leave and Fluffy's ducklings hatch, Baron is delighted to share with them all. Children will be captivated by the lush illustrations. The animals, realistically rendered in acrylic and ink, look ready to jump off the page, and the expressions on Baron's face, which range from curious to unsure to sad to delighted, are priceless. The book is beautifully designed, with the mix of full-bleed spreads, spot art, and full-page illustrations adding interest and moving the story along nicely. The lifelike farm and country backdrops and use of motion add to the visual appeal of the book. While there is nothing new here, and the text is unexceptional and occasionally saccharine, libraries looking for more books on friendship and sharing will find a ready audience for this attractive offering. Accessible to beginning readers, it will also be popular in storyhours.–Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CTCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.