Prince for a Princess

November 1, 2012
Christina gets her wish for a dog. When the family visits the farm where the rescued greyhounds live, Christina, sometimes called Princess by her dad, is attracted to the biggest dog of all, Prince. Prince, gentle and loving, has never been a pet, but he, like most greyhounds, does not really bark and is calm around children, especially quiet ones like Christina. Bert, the owner of the farm, teaches Christina all she needs to know about Prince, including interesting details that pertain just to greyhounds. Prince has to be taught how to climb stairs because "[r]acing greyhounds live a flat life." Greyhounds are sociable and do not like to be left alone. Luckily, Christina's mother works from home. When Prince does have to be left alone, he leaves scratches on the doors and escapes from the backyard, providing the only real scare of the book. A fine solution is found when Christina's parents find a day companion for Prince: a tiny Chihuahua. This simple but entirely engaging short chapter book for early readers is filled with child appeal. Frequent ink illustrations, with Christina drawn as an Asian-featured child with non-Asian parents, provide just the right amount of visual information to keep the pages turning. Satisfying big-dog-meets-little-girl story. (Fiction. 6-10)

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March 1, 2013

Gr 2-4-Seven-year-old Christina loves dogs. Her parents take her to a kennel for retired racing greyhounds and end up taking one home. Prince is a great pet who loves to play and be around people; he quickly becomes a member of the family. One afternoon he escapes from the backyard and runs to school to wait for Christina. After that, the family gets a Chihuahua so that Prince isn't lonely during the day anymore. Simple black-and-white illustrations depict the action and help new readers understand the plot. As many children dream of having a furry, four-legged pet of their very own, the subject matter has broad appeal. The simple sentence structure and repetitive vocabulary combine to create a somewhat stilted text, but this is a fair choice where additional books for newly independent readers are needed.-Amy Commers, South St. Paul Public Library, MN

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