First Dog
PreSchool-Grade 2—In this story that encourages animal adoption, a Portuguese water dog wanders the world in search of the perfect place to live. The stray encounters 10 fellow canines along the way, including a Newfoundland and Russian wolfhound in their homelands, a Shar-Pei at the Great Wall, and a dingo in Australia. None of their habitats suit him. Returning to his old neighborhood, the pooch reads a newspaper headline, "First Family Looks for Dog." He squeezes through the wrought iron gate and trots to the White House entrance, where he sits in front of an open door exposing two pairs of legs. A single line of text reads, "Daddy, Daddy, can we keep him?" The authors slam-dunk the story with an emphatic, "Yes, we can!" A view of the dog sprawled asleep on the Oval Office carpet follows. Bowers's realistic yet comic illustrations blend rich vistas with charming poses and great facial expressions. The endpapers give facts about each breed the pup met along the way. Curiously, a Portuguese water dog is not included. Lewis and his daughter dedicate their book to those in the rescue community and offer ways to help these organizations. This makes one willing to give the authors license and overlook the fact that the Obama dog did not come from a shelter.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.