PIPER'S ADVENTURES

A small dog learns how to behave by watching his big friend in this sweet tale of doggy adoption.

Three pale-skinned human sisters with curly blond hair are sad that their beloved old Labrador, Riley, is lonely. They visit a shelter, hoping to find Riley a furry friend. There, one of the girls instantly connects with a small, black-and-white puppy: “The itty-bitty doggy’s eyes met the little girl’s eyes and BAM!” The family adopts the tiny pit bull (“itty-bitty pitty”) and names him Piper. At first, Piper won’t share toys, eats alone, and strains against his leash on walks. But when Piper notices how much the family loves Riley, he learns from the old dog’s example, and the pets become best friends. Paulson’s story structure sensitively makes it clear that shelter dogs need time to learn new behaviors. The frequent use of the phrase “itty-bitty pitty,” with different adjectives to show how Piper thinks of himself, may encourage young readers to chime in, and extra activities at the end are likely to drive further engagement. The text density is inconsistent, but the eye-catching pictures offset the more crowded pages. Roffler’s watercolor and gouache illustrations ably show Piper’s character development, and the details in the artwork will keep young lap readers engaged even after the words are finished.

A sweet tale of friendship between an old and a young pet.