Poppy & Pipsqueak: The mighty pipsqueak by Deborah Kelly. Illus. by Amie Sabadin

When Jessie-dog has a puppy much smaller than the others, Dad says it probably won’t survive the night.  Poppy is determined to prove that the little pup can do everything the other pups can do.  After all, she was born small too.

Poppy convinces her father to let her try to save the puppy by hand-rearing it.  Her father agrees that Poppy can raise the puppy now named Pipsqueak, but they can’t keep her.  The problem is that dad is a farmer and only wants work dogs on the farm so he tells Poppy that she will need to find another home when she is big enough.  Poppy loves her puppy and is determined to show her parents that Pipsqueak is a strong, reliable dog.

This is fabulous book and I especially love the Glossary and Featured Creatures in the back as it will help the reader to understand some of the language used.  This is a perfect book for emerging or independent readers with short chapters, great language and beautiful black and white illustrations.  I hope that there are more books in this series as I can imagine many more adventures for Poppy and Pipsqueak. 

This would make a great read aloud or independent read and is bound to be a favourite with readers who like animals and learning new information particularly around dogs and farm life.   

Themes: Animals, Family, Farm life, Runts, Disability, Resilience.

Mhairi Alcorn