The Perfect Dog by Kevin O'Malley

I'm most familiar with Kevin O'Malley as an illustrator of picture books like Miss Malarkey and creator of comic strip picture books like Captain Raptor. This is a delightful addition to his repertoire and will delight the hearts of dog-lovers of all ages.

An unnamed girl has gotten permission to get a dog and knows exactly what she wants...a dog that's big, but not too big. Fancy, but not too fancy. Snuggly, but not too snuggly...Maybe the decision isn't as easy as she thought! Fortunately, there's a furry friend out there who knows just how to solve her problem.

Most of the pages include a series of comparative adverbs (the grammar portion of my brain mysteriously emptied itself so I can't remember the exact word). For example, the girl is shown in jogging clothes walking a beagle, "The perfect dog should be fast..." then running with a dalmation "faster", then just her hand clutching the leash of a greyhound "fastest!" and then flying off the page herself "Maybe not this fast." O'Malley uses broad stripes of pastels to create an impression of comic panels and there are humorous expressions on the faces of the dogs and the girl. The endpapers include pictures of various dog breeds.

Verdict: This is a sweet and funny. The argumentative part of me wants to say it would be better if they were clearly choosing a dog from a shelter, instead of a specific breed, but that's a personal quibble. If you need more dog titles, this is a fun choice.

ISBN: 9781101934418; Published 2016 by Crown Publishing; F&G provided by publisher