Pierre’s Friends. Andrea Beck. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2010. 32 pp., hardcover, $19.95. ISBN 978-1-55469-030-5. Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4 8. Review by Alison Mews. *** /4 Reviewed from f&g’s.

excerpt:

Pierre Le Poof was a pampered pooch. He had almost everything a dog could want a full dish, a soft pillow and Miss Murphy, the person he adored.

But Pierre missed his friends, Sparky and Lou.

A she sat in his window overlooking the park, Pierre decided to go find them. ... Miss Murphy wouldn’t mind if Pierre brought Sparky and Lou home, she always said dogs and people belonged together.

Miss Murphy even said grumpy old Mr. Farnham next door wasn’t really grumpy, he was just lonely because years ago he lost his dog.

“He needs a little buddy,” she told Pierre.

Surely that meant Miss Murphy had room in her heart for another little buddy, or two?

Pierre Le Poof is a very contented and well loved poodle, but he is a little lonely. So he hatches a plan to find the stray dogs in the park and bring them home to stay. It takes two days of slipping out the window and down the fire escape while Mis Murphy naps before he locates Sparky and Lou and persuades them to follow him home. And, while Mis Murphy does not agree to keeping the strays, she does find a home for them in the same apartment building, and so Pierre will be able to play with his friends whenever he wants. However, because he cannot forget the sad old Beagle he encountered in his search or the grumpy next door neighbour who lost his dog years ago, he devises another plan to unite the two. This works without a hitch, and Pierre can now rest, knowing all his friends belong to happy homes.

     This is a gentle story of a tender hearted pup who, in seeking to assuage his own loneliness, discovers others’ greater needs and takes steps to resolve them. While there is no real tension in this story, homeless underdogs will appeal to young children and the neat resolution will fulfill their innate sense of social justice.

      Pierre’s Friends is nicely designed and well illustrated. The dogs resemble favourite stuffed toys, and Pierre is particularly loveable and cuddly looking. His fluffy poodle pom poms attest to his pampered state and contrast with the dirty and unkempt strays. Pierre’s Friends is the second book about the pampered pooch Pierre Le Poof by author/artist Andrea Beck. Children who enjoyed this story may want to read the first book, which is simply entitled Pierre Le Poof.

Recommended.

Alison Mews is a recently retired librarian who lives in St. John's, NL.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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