You’re always looking for things to add to it, and your friends and family know what you need to fill in the blanks. Holidays are particularly special because you usually get gifts to go with your collection, which is always fun. And in “Bailey: Puppy Pals” by Susan Hughes, two girls start collecting something unusual.
Kat Reynolds wanted a puppy. Kat. Loved. Dogs but, sadly, neither her parents nor the parents of her best friend, Maya, would let either girl get a puppy.
Puppy love wasn’t the only thing Kat and Maya had in common. They’d been friends forever and, until this year, they’d even been in the same classroom. Maya was in another fourth-grade room now, which made things difficult: two mean girls kept teasing Kat about some boy, and having Maya in the same room would’ve helped a lot.
That drama couldn’t compare to Kat’s good news: her Aunt Jenn had started a dog grooming business! So when Kat and Maya saw a chance to spend time with Aunt Jenn’s first boarder, a yellow Lab puppy named Bailey, they volunteered! They could get pictures of Bailey, and add them to their scrapbook!
Grateful for the help, Jenn made sure both girls knew how to take Bailey out of the kennel and pick him up. She made sure Kat and Maya knew what was safe for Bailey to play with. And she warned both girls that they were not supposed to take Bailey outside in the backyard. But Bailey was such a cute little guy and he was so active! What would it hurt if the girls took him out back for just a minute? Jenn would never know…. would she?
Kids and dogs create their own mutual Fan Club every time. So wouldn’t a kids’ book about dogs – a book like “Bailey: Puppy Pals” – be perfect? The answer is “yes.”There’s a certain sense of timeless-but-modern innocence and nostalgia to author Susan Hughes’ story; her main characters are not into drama, fashion or gadgets, and they like boys as friends but they like dogs better. Parents will be happy to note that both girls are good kids who act responsibly, which is part of the storyline and which seems to get kids ready for the next book in the series. Readers who like Kat and Maya and won’t have to stop spending time with them.
While there’s no reason for boys to avoid this book, it’s really best for girls ages 7-to-10, especially those who are new to chapter books. If that’s your girl and she loves dogs, “Bailey: Puppy Pals” is a great tale for her collection.
“Bailey: Puppy Pals” by Susan Hughes [112 pages, 2016, $5.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
