THE PUG WHO DIDN'T BELONG
by Janina Kelly illustrated by Tommy Hardman
In Kelly’s debut picture book, a once-pampered pug struggled to adapt to her lonely new mountain home.
Paula the pug resides in a castle and gets royal treatment by her gray-haired, bespectacled human owner: “Red carpets, soft cushions / and a throne for her butt, / Paula had poise / and a confident strut.” Their days pass in perfect happiness, but when her owner falls ill, Paula is sent to the mountains to live with a grumpy, mostly absent woodsman. She feels lonely and out of place, but tries to make the most of her situation. Soon, she meets a good-natured “madness of marmots,” and they become firm friends. With their help, she forges a new familial bond with the woodsman. Kelly tells Paula’s tale in well-measured rhyming text, presented in a faux handwritten font. Illustrator Hardman brings the story to life through layered inks, watery textures, and wonderful animal portrayals. The illustration of Paula surrounded by inquisitive cows as derisive country folk point at her is particularly effective as a study in estrangement. The humans are depicted with various skin tones. Paula’s owners are compassionately portrayed, and Paula’s sunny pug personality is evident throughout.
A sweetly illustrated tale that may help kids coping with change.