“Dumpling was a dog of enormous enthusiasm, excellent obedience skills —and very little nose.” In spite of the description of our main character in the opening line, the illustration shows her as having quite a remarkable proboscis. In fact, she more closely resembles an anteater than a dog. What we soon learn, though, is that Dumpling has a very weak sense of smell—a disadvantage for any dog. Since she can’t smell anything, she has no interest in sniffing anything, including other dogs, and consequently she has no dog friends. For Dumpling’s owners, it’s a particular disadvantage because she can’t seem to stay away from skunks. Several unfortunate encounters with a local skunk earn her eponymous nickname, Skunkdog. But Dumpling doesn’t care, and she actually becomes quite friendly with a skunk who takes up residence in her doghouse. Emily Jenkins’s wry text is well complemented by Pierre Pratt’s humorous cartoon-style illustrations. (Ages 4–7)

“Dumpling was a dog of enormous enthusiasm, excellent obedience skills—and very little nose” (n.p.). Since she could not sense smell, Dump ling could not differentiate between dogs and cats or garbage and flowers. So even though “she went into paroxysms of joy over people coming home” (n.p.), she had no animal friends. This combination becomes a significant problem when Dumpling and her human family move to the country and Dumpling discovers an animal in her yard. Lovely language and humorously expressive illustrations enrich this subtle tale of friendship. Pierre Pratt is the recipient of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustration, Canada’s most prestigious award for children’s books, and he was a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2008. lmp

Dumpling is a dog of enormous enthusiasm, excellent obedience skills – and no sense of smell. She doesn't care about flowers, garbage, or any of the other smelly things most dogs enjoy. As a result, Dumpling has no dog friends. With a useless nose, she can't relate. Dumpling is lonely . . . until she and her people move to the country. And then the good dog has to choose between obedience and friendship – with a skunk!

Ridiculous, touching, and a little bit disgusting, Skunkdog, with its lively storytelling and comic pictures, will spark conversations and giggles.