THE PUMPERNICKEL-DAFFODIL

The travails of the privileged turn into a down-to-earth, feel-good story.

Wodehouse Chili Pepper Pumpernickel the Third—a big name for a little poodle—has a lot to live up to, coming from a long line of best-in-show winners. His parents tell him that to get a human and win ribbons, he must “sit up straight and look bored.” When 8-year-old Isadora Alexandra Ball comes looking for a show dog, however, WCPPIII is asleep. When he wakes up, he yawns (a no-no), then has to flap his ear right-side-out. Isadora is sold. To her stylish mom, he’s “a bit scrawny” and “scruffy,” but his family name wows her. Izzy calls him Chili. Mom preps them both for an upcoming dog show; Dad, a dog groomer, dictates a pre-show bath and haircut for both. Izzy is dressed as a mini-Mom, while Chili is “fluffy,” “poofy,” and “HALF NAKED!” At the show, the duo gamely turn missteps to comedy. They’re not abashed by losing the ribbon, and though Izzy’s mom briefly wonders about the break in tradition, both sets of parents are entirely supportive. Bernstein here does for dogs what she did for felines in I Am a Cat (2018). As in that book, backgrounds are mostly white, but the style is, suitably, fluffier, with baroque squiggles on trophy cups, picture frames, and poodle cuts. Izzy and her parents are light-skinned; dog-show attendees are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An endearing tale of not being daunted by family expectations.