MR. CHIPS!

Stories about lost pets who manage to find their families despite vast distances are always touching, and this one is no exception. Mr. Chips, an Airedale, joins the narrator's family after his first family moves to a place where dogs are not allowed. Ellie and her family soon discover that Mr. Chips has friends all over the neighborhood, yet no one knows where he is when he disappears for several days. Ellie's family moves before he returns, and in her new home she has to comfort herself with a bit of his fur she's saved. Eventually Mr. Chips shows up, thin and scraggly, wearing a collar that says ``Pickles,'' but home with his family once again. The text is long for the format, but the simple vocabulary makes it ideal for new readers who are still comfortable with picture books. Kvasnosky bases the tale on memories of her own childhood dog, and the simple, color-laden illustrations convey the feeling of a beloved animal within a happy family. (Picture book. 4-8)