ALL THE BEST DOGS

Every dog lover thinks their dog is the best in the universe, writes Jenkins in this cozy neighborhood tale…and they’re all correct.

Displaying sharp insight into how both pets and middle schoolers see the world, the author spins interwoven storylines around regular visitors to a Brooklyn dog run. In this safe social space, friendship crises, beloved companions lost and found, tempests emotional and digestive, and new family arrangements play out in benign ways over the course of one June weekend. Narrated in third person, the book follows a bevy of canine and human characters, giving readers true-to-life glimpses of both viewpoints. The canine cast outnumbers the racially diverse human one and is large enough to necessitate an occasional flip back to Preitano’s opening gallery for a refresher. Still, in both the narrative and in the informal ink-and-wash scenes, generously distributed throughout, the dogs—from 50-pound puppy Cup-Cup to three-legged, “corgi adjacent” Panda—are as individualized in looks and temperament as their two-legged devotees. Free of tragedy if not occasional tears, guilty secrets, and moments of distress, this buoyant outing delivers nicely on a reassuring authorial promise at the outset that things will turn out well. Final art not seen.

A real good, feel-good, doggy delight.