RUFUS AND FRIENDS

Adventures in elementary school, through the eyes of eager canine students and told in bouncy verse. In bright red raincoat and boots, dachshund Rufus waves to the camera as he boards the bus for school: “My books are packed. My tummy’s fed. / I’m ready for the day ahead.” Rufus and his dog friends, a nice cross-section of breeds, have a day of classroom adventures (14 altogether), based on childhood songs and rhymes. A fluffy poodle is the subject of “There Was a Little Girl,” a new “Tom, Tom, the Piper’s Son” celebrates student musicians and “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe” introduces a math lesson. Many of the source poems will be unfamiliar, but Trapani’s inventive and precise verse allows each rhyme to stand on its own. Similarly, her illustrations, in watercolor, ink and colored pencil, are bright and distinct. Bonus addendum: a quiz that takes readers back on a scavenger hunt through many of the poems. A winner. (Picture book/poetry. 4-7)