PUG & DOUG

How can two best friends that have a lot in common come to terms with their differences and resolve a huge misunderstanding? Leave it to these canine buddies to show how it is done.

Pale yellow Pug and pastel purple Doug both enjoy munching on day-old doughnuts, dancing to polka music and greeting each other with “a secret pawshake,” but they have unique personalities and preferences. Doug is artistic, imaginative and dramatic. Pug, not so much. In fact, “Doug thought that sometimes Pug could be a real stick-in-the-mud.” But Pug is actually quite loyal, methodical and persistent. When Doug glimpses an unfinished entry in Pug’s journal and misinterprets a few of Pug’s earlier actions, his imagination leads him to believe that Pug does not like him anymore. Pug realizes what has happened and sets out with dogged determination to make things right and successfully plan a birthday surprise. Cartoonist Breen gets the pacing and tone just right. The layout features varied sets of panels along with a few dramatic full-bleed spreads executed in mixed media of watercolor, acrylics and colored pencil. This design enhances the reading experience by turning a gentle, humorous story into a bit of a page turner.

Readers will relate to the bruised feelings, mistaken mix-ups, challenges and ultimate joys of best friendship. Let’s just hope Pug and Doug return for more adventures.