McDuff Saves the Day (McDuff)

Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers's series about the earnest pooch and his expanding community of friends and family harkens back to quainter days, when baby carriers were buckled into cars with leather straps and kind gentlemen didn't mind sharing their fried chicken and devil's food cake with strangers. Jeffers's inviting paintings of 1930s cars and fashions, and of course the little white dog himself, are warm and appealing. Readers who loved McDuff Goes to School and McDuff's New Friend will enjoy this summery entry in the series. (Ages 3 to 5) --Emilie Coulter