IZZY IN THE DOGHOUSE

If your favorite friend was annoyed at you while your single mom was on a business trip, wouldn’t a new puppy make everything feel all right again?

Isabel and Zoë are such favorite friends at school that even their coats, intertwined in their side-by-side cubbies, are best buddies. Izzy and Zoë also share a madcap sense of humor that includes toilet-paper tails and pretend-dirt sandwiches. Sometimes this lands them in the principal’s office, which Zoë hates. Luckily, Izzy’s caring, live-in nanny and loving, adoptive mom determine that Izzy’s exuberant impulsiveness suggests that she has “a lot of love” to spread for just a three-person family, so they get a puppy for her to baby. The dog-adoption process echoes Izzy’s own experience of being adopted, as told to her by her mom. With this title, Adderson, author of the Jasper John Dooley chapter-book series, introduces another series for the age group with a character reminiscent of such icons as Ruby Lu and Clementine. Izzy’s mom presents White, and gap-toothed Izzy has pale skin, straight, black hair, and freckles. Best friend Zoë is a child of color, the school principal is Asian, and Izzy’s nanny is Latinx (cued stereotypically  in part by her extreme fondness for the telenovela Love at First Sight). The short and pithy chapters, believable and specific kid language, and Collier’s spunky illustrations make this a promising kickoff to a new series.

An endearing, energetic take on chapter books for transitioning readers.