Paige Braddock's brief appearance as an assistant in the biographical graphic novel I recently read, Funny Things: A Comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz, put me in a open and welcoming mood when I saw one of her book titles pop up in the library catalog. Her "Jane's World" series didn't do much for me years ago, but I was curious to see how she'd fare when it comes to a kiddie book.

And she did okay, I guess, for the book's intended audience, but this little peek into how an established dog and cat react when a puppy is introduced into their household didn't do anything for me to make it stand out in a very crowded field. ( )

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

clever graphic novel ( )

Crackers, a perky blue dog who goes "crackers" when squirrels appear on HIS porch and Butter, a plump marmalade cat with a penchant for licking butter, have a good life. Until a puppy named Peanut shows up!

Crackers is not too thrilled with this know-nothing puppy that has shown up. He doesn't like sharing his water bowl, toys, or backyard and Peanut is noisy and needy and not house-trained! Butter is mostly different - she is, after all, a cat, but even she can't take much more of Peanut's annoying habits. So one night, when Peanut is being more annoying than usual, she leaves a gate open. Problem solved, no more Peanut. But Crackers has second thoughts. After all, he and Butter were once scared and alone, with no family. Maybe Peanut is annoying, but he needs a family too, just like they did - and they set out to bring a lost, lonely puppy back to a real home.

I am thrilled to see a new, easy graphic novel from Paige Braddock, although it doesn't quite hit the high notes of humor and science in Stinky Cecil, which will remain my favorite. An author's note at the end talks about family pets and her love of Peanuts comics, which she now writes. Her art does have a little of a Peanuts look to it, but it's all her own. This one is in blues and purples, with orange and green highlights. The night scenes are dark purple and the action focuses on the animals, with the occasional outside animal or pair of human hands.

Verdict: Readers moving on from Elephant and Piggie now have a wide and delightful range of choices and this is another that is sure to please readers. This would be just right for kids who aren't quite ready for Bad Kitty yet. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780593117439; Published September 2020 by Viking; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library