Izzy’s Dog Days of Summer

Ebullient Izzy and best friend Zoe eagerly attend their first day at the ‘Fun in the Sun Camp’. This turns out to be a big disappointment with nothing working out as expected. Plus, Izzy’s inimitable creativity gets them in trouble, especially when she accidentally uses permanent marker to draw new eyebrows on her face. She and Zoe decide to start their own ‘Bigger Amount of Sun in the Fun Club’ at home and enterprisingly make elaborate plans. Unfortunately, elderly Mr. Entwistle, the next door neighbor, keeps grumbling at the noise they and Izzy’s dog, Rollo, are making. But even sad Mr. Entwistle has difficulty resisting Izzy’s winning ways and a sweet friendship begins.

Izzy’s Dog Days of Summer is the third chapter book featuring Izzy, her best friend Zoe and beloved dog Rollo, the first two being Izzy in the Doghouse and Izzy’s Tail of Trouble. Izzy is still the eager, innovative child whose enthusiasm and creative ideas get her into trouble. Zoe is still her eager follower, and puppy Rollo has grown but is still far from perfectly behaved!

Children will easily identify with the loveable characters, the authenticity of the children’s enthusiasms and the frequent comical near disasters. The book also features an elderly grieving, sometimes grumpy neighbour, Mr Entwistle. Izzy’s genuine interest in him and her kindly overtures toward him provide a gentle lesson in kindness and is sensitively handled. In an unconventional family arrangement, Izzy’s live-in caregiver, Rosa, provides wise thoughtful advice in the absence of Izzy’s adoptive mother.

Not only does Izzy’s Dog Days of Summer provide an entertaining and believable read but is appealing to look at with clear print and frequent full and half page illustrations. The expressive humorous black and white, digitally created artwork captures the whimsy of the characters and events and augments the story perfectly.

This fast moving story, with its appealing characters and humour, interspersed with some thought-provoking insights will appeal to children aged 6-9 both as a read-aloud or as a book for independent new readers