Newbery Medal-winner Erin Entrada Kelly (Hello Universe; We Dream of Space) delivers a love letter to children with pets--particularly dogs--in the playful younger middle-grade novel Felix Powell, Boy Dog.
When eight-year-old Felix listens to the "little voice" in his head that tells him "There is something special about this blanket," he purchases it from Birdie's Thrift Shop and takes it home. The boy wonders what makes this blanket so special until he takes it with him on a backyard picnic with his dog, Mary Puppins. When Felix hides under the blanket for Puppins to find him, the boy emerges as a dog. There is lots for Felix to get used to about being a pup, like enhanced hearing and the importance of greeting other dogs appropriately (that is, by smelling butts). While Felix enjoys learning how to be a dog from Puppins, he begins to miss being a boy. But how does he turn himself back?
Kelly uses short sentences and accessible language, explaining any word that might be new to a young reader. She makes excellent use of dialogue to tell much of the story, and conversations between Mary Puppins and the neighborhood cat, Gumbo, give an amusing view into how animals might view the world ("If me and Gumbo were in a sniffing contest I would win, paws down," Puppin says). Kelly's grayscale spot art is done in a lovable, naïve style that feels like Felix himself might have sketched it. Lighthearted humor is balanced perfectly with minor suspense in this novel for young pup lovers. --Kharissa Kenner, children's Llibrarian, Bank Street School for Children