Up, up and away

Pilot Pups
by Michelle Meadows; illustrated by Dan Andreason
Simon & Schuster

My son never had much enthusiasm for stuffed animals, which generally gather dust on his shelves, with a new, notable exception. His kindergarten class just did a unit on pets and created a stuffed animal shelter. Families donated their less-beloved plush toys, which were renamed and kept in a "kennel" (really wire baskets stacked on their sides). Each kid adopted one for a $1.00 donation to the Anti-Cruelty Society.

Seth brought home "Fluffy," which Brett and I renamed "Scruffy" for the kitty's much-abused condition. Don't tell that to Seth, who gleefully described how she jumped out of her cage to him and purred in his arms. Fortunately, she eats only Lego blocks and hasn't needed a litter box, though she could probably use a good stain-sticking and some judicious restitching.

I thought of Fluffy as I read Pilot Pups, since it captures so well the absolute, unshakable belief of kids that their favorite plush toys do indeed have a rich, inner life--when we're not looking. In this one,  two stuffed puppies soar around the house as the human family obliviously goes about their morning.

Meadows keeps the rhymes short and spirited, with plenty of alliteration, repetition and other nifty tricks for beginning readers:

Canines cruising,
in control.
Searching, searching--
on patrol.

Andreason strikes a playful tone in his oil paints, which are infused with a cheerful, golden glow. We had fun with this one, though I'm told Fluffy gets jealous.

Rating: *\*\*\

Comments

[brettdl]

Seth is still closer to his stuffed animals than I ever was as a kid. Don't forget that Seth is also close to his lamby.