Pretty Minnie in Paris

August 25, 2014
Minnie, Steel’s “teacup-size” Chihuahua that inspired her 2013 memoir, Pure Joy: The Dogs We Love, is the star of this sugary story. Minnie accompanies her owner, a Parisian girl named Françoise, everywhere: to ballet class, where Minnie performs at the barre in a tutu, and to a bistro, where she perches on pillows to dine at table with Françoise and her fashion-designer mother. Minnie fares less well at her first fashion show: overcome by the crowds and the excitement, she leaps from Françoise’s lap and takes refuge backstage. When Minnie follows a model down the runway, the woman scoops her up and both pose for photos before Minnie is reunited with Françoise. The story line is quite thin and Steel’s prose underwhelming (“After the show, Françoise told her mother what had happened—and she was happy to see Minnie too”), though Valiant (Penguin Cha-Cha) runs with the fashion-forward theme, showcasing Paris’s landmarks and scenes of couture clothing that will delight young fashionistas. Ages 3–7. Author’s agency: Janklow & Nesbit. Illustrator’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt.

September 15, 2014
Minnie is a teacup Chihuahua who lives in Paris with Francoise and her very chic family. They dine at bistros, ride a bike in the Jardin du Luxembourg, go to the top of the Eiffel Tower and walk to the Arc de Triomphe. But most of all they love fashion, especially pink and purple and anything with sparkles. Francoise and Minnie, who is based on the author's pet, have outfits to suit every occasion. Since Francoise's mother is a fashion designer, they are able to visit the workrooms and witness the process of the design and construction of the clothes. Most exciting of all is the opportunity to attend fashion shows. But the clamor of one show is more than Minnie can handle. She escapes from Francoise's lap and hides backstage, while Francoise worries and cries. They are reunited in a blaze of publicity, and Minnie's rescue is featured in the newspapers. Enamored of the glamorous Parisian lifestyle and the opportunity to envelop her characters in the world of fashion, Steel nearly overwhelms the slight, sweet tale about love between a little girl and her pet. While her text is pedestrian, Valiant provides Minnie with a happy, appealing personality as she moves through the bright, color-filled illustrations that nicely capture the spirit of Paris and all the fashion-forward clothing. Froufrou. (Picture book. 4-7)

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