Jasmine Green rescues A piglet called Truffle; A duckling called Button by Helen Peters, illustrated by Ellie Snowdon

I always loved the Sophie books by Dick King-Smith, but sadly acknowledged that they were too old and, well, British for the kids in my small town to take interest in them and weeded them some years ago. I requested these galleys because I knew kids love pretty much any animal rescue beginning chapter books and you cannot imagine the delight I felt when they turned out to be a more contemporary, true-to-life Sophie!

Jasmine Green's mom, Nadia, is a veterinarian and her dad is a farmer, primarily of sheep. She has an older sister, Ella, who is usually absorbed by homework and a little brother, Manu, who spends most of his time playing with his best friend Ben who lives across the road. Jasmine loves animals of all kinds, but especially pigs. When she accompanies her mom on a trip to a calving, she is admiring a newly litter of piglets when she finds a runt. Mr. Carter, the grouchy farmer, has no time for a runt, so Jasmine sneaks it home. She works hard to care for the piglet and, against all expectations, he grows and thrives. But will Jasmine be able to keep Truffle against her mom's objections about stealing and her dad's firm rule of no pigs on their farm?

In her second rescue venture, Jasmine has an altercation with the stuck-up Bella Bradley, who allows her dog to run loose in their field of sheep. Upon investigation, the dog also killed a mallard, leaving its nest and the surviving eggs alone. With the help of her friend Tom and his aunt's incubator, Jasmine rescues and cares for the eggs, but one is broken by her little brother and another dies after hatching. Will she manage to save one duckling?

Attractive black and white sketches decorate the books, showing lots of adorable animals and a sturdy, dark-skinned girl and her family who are loving and absorbed in the life of their family and their farm. The books are kind and warm, but not sentimental about animals. Adults are considerate of Jasmine's love of animals but realistic; Mr. Carter may be grouchy, but he wants the best for his animals and Jasmine's mom supports Jasmine in her grief over the eggs that don't hatch or survive.

There is also a strong realistic aspect to the stories, from the eggs not all surviving (having hatched chicks in the library many times this is definitely true) to Jasmine getting colostrum from her mother's cupboard to help her pig. While Jasmine does have an anger-fueled battle with Bella, she also has the support of her parents and the school authorities, who see that Bella faces consequences for her illegal actions in letting her dog roam and destroy a nest of protected mallards (and she gets punched by Jasmine for dropping Button the duckling, a scene of comeuppance which all kids will appreciate!).

Verdict: Jasmine is an intelligent, empathetic, and determined girl who is a great role-model for young animal lovers. A must-have addition to your beginning chapter sections, even if your primary audience is urban. They will love this glimpse of life and animals on a farm and the diversity is a welcome touch to what is often an all-white industry.

A piglet called Truffle
ISBN: 9781536214598
A duckling called Button
ISBN: 9781536214581

Published March 2020 by Walker Books US; Galleys provided by the publisher for review; Purchased for the library