Little Madlenka was introduced in the book Madlenka (Farrar, 2000), in which she showed her loose tooth to various vendors and shopkeepers on her urban block. Now, Madlenka, who wants a dog, must rely on her imagination after her parents say no. Madlenka’s dog, represented by the red leash and collar that lead Madlenka around the block, may not be visible to readers and listeners, but most children will understand how very real that dog is to Madlenka. So do the shopkeepers on Madlenka’s block, whom she once again visits to introduce her new companion. There are flaps to be lifted on some pages, revealing the dogs and puppies remembered by the adult friends on her block, who come from nations around the world. As in the original Madlenka, endpapers represent the earth from space, and then the North American continent with a small red dot for New York City, offering older children the opportunity to consider the way the worlds they know–of neighborhood, block, or community–are at once complete and part of something greater. (Ages 3-7)

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Another delightful romp around Madlenka's city block

Madlenka wants a dog! She doesn't really care what kind, so long as it's a dog that she can put on a leash and walk around the block. But her mother and father say NO! What is Madlenka to do? It just takes some imagination . . . Madlenka's friends on the block all play along, remembering the dogs of their childhood, and in the end it seems quite possible that there's more to Madlenka's dog than we can see. With his considerable charm, Peter Sís uses lift-up flaps and peek-through windows to bring us into Madlenka's magical world where play and fantasy make wishes come true.

Madlenka's Dog is a 2002 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. This title has Common Core connections.