Spare Dog Parts. Alison Hughes. Illustrated by Ashley Spires. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2016. 32 pp., hardcover, pdf & epub, $9.95 (hc.). ISBN 978-1-4598-0704-4 (hc.), ISBN 978-1-4598-0705-1 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4598-0706-8 (epub). Preschool-kindergarten / Ages 3-5. Review by Kaitlyn Vecchio. **** /4 Reviewed from F&G’s.

excerpt:

When my dog was made, they used leftover parts. But somehow, when they fit them together like a big dog puzzle…they made a perfect dog.

Every pet is unique in its own way, and, in Spare Dog Parts, a young girl shares with readers how she imagines her dog was put together with spare dog parts to become the most magnificent dog. The illustrations in this title show the young girl assembling her dog with mismatched parts: “There was an old, tubby, stubby body that didn’t fit any other dog. They used that, and covered it with leftover wiry, scruffy fur…It’s a comfortable body, perfect for cuddling.” “Nobody else wanted the big, wet, snuffling nose. Or the shaggy, panting, drooly snout. So my dog got them.” The young girl continues to highlight that, although mismatched and not perfect, regardless of the spare parts, her dog is funny, loving, and perfect. “All the big brains went to the dogs that really needed them. But my dog knows enough. She knows the important things. Like where the sun beam falls. And the sound of food. And when someone needs her.”

     Spare Dog Parts is a really beautiful story that highlights the uniqueness of pets and the joy they bring into their owners' lives. The illustrations in this picture book are beautifully painted, descriptive, and they will engage with the reader.

     Alison Hughes is an award-winning author and has written children’s literature that includes picture books, early readers, middle grades, young adult fiction, and short stories. If you want a good laugh, read one of Hughes many books!

     Illustrator Ashley Spires has authored and illustrated many picture books. She is also the creator of the award-winning “Binky Adventure” series featuring Binky the Space Cat.

     A great read-aloud!

Highly Recommended.

Kaitlyn Vecchio is a children’s librarian at the Prince George Public Library in Prince George, BC.

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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