PUDGY

Pudgy is a lovable pup in this simple tale. Pudgy and a little girl named Lucy are both shy characters who are left out of the group. This makes them sad, and as a result “then Pudgy is bad,” getting into mischief with stolen snacks, spilled milk, and muddy paw prints on the sofa. Pudgy runs away and the two little lost souls find each other in the woods, become friends, and decide to stay together. In six sentences, spread through the pages in phrases, Goodhart addresses a range of universal emotions. Church provides appealing, uncluttered illustrations in muted shades and simple shapes, with a collage effect in the subtly shaded backgrounds. Pudgy and Lucy have huge eyes and large heads, and the illustrator’s flat, simple style makes them look like toys who have come to life. Older toddlers making the transition from board books to real stories are a natural audience for this effort, but the satisfying story and the volume’s large size will also work for preschool or kindergarten story hours about dogs or friendship. (Picture book. 1½-5)