Pilot Pups
Two adorable stuffed puppies take off in a toy airplane. A pefectly scanned rhyme scheme recounts their adventure as they go up in the air, around the house, over Dad’s head (“Watch out for the mountaintop”), through a patch of fog (steam from the kettle), and, finally, help a couple of pals whose toy train is stuck. This pithy picture book's art is as appealing as its text. Everything has dimension, from the mottled backgrounds and the toy plane and train that look as though they were carved from wood to the dogs, who seem sturdy yet squishable. The book has the right elements for very young children: a story short enough to hold their attention, imaginative wordplay, and pictures that will allow them to imagine their own toys come to life. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Ilene Cooper