This has very easy seek-and-find counting to ten elements. Altogether charming, especially the styling of rainbow-colored pup and beret-clad Tate. Do not take your pup for granted! ( )

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

Tate likes to draw but his pup keeps getting upset that he/she is never the subject of the sketches.

One of the good things about this book is that the text is very simple and basic so that beginning readers can practice reading without getting easily frustrated. Alternatively, it could be a decent read-aloud for very young preschool children with limited attention spans.

Every other page spread shows off one of Tate's sketches and asks the reader to find 10 of something, such as cats or bugs. As the sketches are very cluttered, this can be harder than it sounds. Kids will really enjoy doing this seek and find.

On the flip side, the book's story is rather slim and portrays what is arguably not the best lesson. When Pup is upset, he/she runs away, which is dangerous. At the end, Tate decides to "always draw Pup." Sure, he should probably make sure Pup feels included, but not to the extent that he draws nothing else going forward.

The illustrations are rather cartoon-ish, which I guess fits the simplicity of this book as a whole. However, there always seems to be too much going on any given page, and I personally found it overwhelming trying to focus on anything. I wonder if children will have the same problem. ( )

Kirsch has a string of picture books dating back to 2008, many of which are out of print. Last year he published an easy reader for Holiday House's I Like to Read line, and it is certainly different from the average easy reader, although it appears to stay true to his quirky style.

Colorful, cartoon-like sketches show a young artist, named Tate, and his playful, rainbow-colored Pup. Tate draws everything around him, challenging readers to find and count the creatures he displays. Pup, meanwhile, juggles, stands on his head, and tries everything he can to attract Tate's attention, but to no avail. Finally, after Tate has drawn, and reader's have counted, flowers, birds, bugs, cats, clowns, and more, Tate notices what he's missing. Pup, complete with red clown-nose and bright pink bow and color, returns home, and Tate promises to always see and include him in his pictures.

Kirsch's quirky art style reminded me somewhat of retro, pen and ink drawings, but his rainbow-colored pup and ubiquitous cats are all his own. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about mixing seek-and-find elements into an easy reader, especially for younger children who are trying to decipher words, but it certainly adds a fun aspect and I think kids will be enthusiastic about it. They would also make really cool coloring pages...

This book series is an unusual size for easy readers, more of a picture book size, about 8x10. This particular title is a level D.

Verdict: I think this is too busy to be a really superlative early easy reader, but it's certainly an excellent mid-list title to fill in that important early level section.

ISBN: 9780823439409; Published 2018 by Holiday House; Purchased for the library

Can You Find Pup? is a wonderful way to begin to read! the illustrations use color versus black and white to aid in the "search for ten things' part of the story. Genius! And yes! I found pup. ( )