Rosie is a shy Jack Russell terrier who lives with George. She’s mostly happy with her predictable life but occasionally sees another dog and feels lonely. When George takes her to the dog park, she meets a big dog named Maurice and a small yippy dog named Fifi. Rosie is not sure she wants to interact with either one until a sudden emergency causes her to take action. The understated narrative is perfectly matched by mostly realistic watercolor paintings that tell the story in a comics format. Short declarative sentences broken up into nine brief chapters are full of humor that comes mostly from perfect comedic timing and textual restraint. The interactions of the three dogs—all so different from one another in breed and personality—is at once realistic and hilarious in the illustrations, which excel at communicating canine emotions through body postures. A book showing a tremendous respect for the intelligence of children is one that adults will enjoy reading and re-reading as much as children do, while many newly independent readers will enjoy the sophisticated humor. (Ages 3–7)

Beloved storyteller Kate DiCamillo and cartoonist Harry Bliss introduce some delightfully doggy dogs in a warm, funny tale of a timid pup who needs a friend.

Rosie is a good dog and a faithful companion to her owner, George. She likes taking walks with George and looking at the clouds together, but the closest she comes to another dog is when she encounters her reflection in her empty dog bowl, and sometimes that makes Rosie feel lonely. One day George takes Rosie to the dog park, but the park is full of dogs that Rosie doesn’t know, which makes her feel lonelier than ever. When big, loud Maurice and small, yippy Fifi bound over and want to play, Rosie’s not sure how to respond. Is there a trick to making friends? And if so, can they all figure it out together?