Posy the Puppy

January 11, 2016
Beatrix Potter meets Grey’s Anatomy as a feline medic tends to animals’ scraped ears, hurt ankles, and other bumps and bruises in this series opener. Dr. KittyCat’s cool confidence is balanced by the giddy fun of the premise, which the artwork really sells. Photographic b&w animals get crayonlike digital outfits accented with purple—with her lab coat and nurse-style cap, Dr. KittyCat could have stepped out of a Richard Scarry book. The Holmes-and-Watson rapport between Dr. KittyCat and her assistant Peanut, playful details like the cozy “vanbulance” the good doctor drives around, and dashes of medical information add up to a well-rounded and very fun read. Simultaneously available: Clover the Bunny. Ages 7–10.

December 15, 2015
Cuddly animals everywhere are lucky to have Dr. KittyCat on call. Dr. KittyCat and her faithful mouse nurse, Peanut, take care of a menagerie of little creatures and keep excellent notes in their Furry First-aid Book. Clover the bunny has scraped his ear on a bramble. Dr. KittyCat cleans it, bandages it, and gives him a sticker. And so it goes. After a busy day of healing bumps and scrapes, Dr. KittyCat wants to unwind by knitting, but her ball of yarn is missing. Before they can find it, an emergency call comes in. Posy the puppy has gotten stuck in a play tunnel while practicing for Paws and Prizes Field Day. Into the vanbulance! Can they free her and find out how it happened? Could it involve Dr. KittyCat's ball of yarn? Posy was at her office earlier....Clarke's first in a new series for those just starting chapter books is high on the sweetness scale. Plentiful illustrations mix black-and-white animal photographs with crayon-style line drawings in purple; unnecessary (and somewhat disturbing) mouths have been drawn on the animals' faces. The book may be useful in helping those afraid of visiting the doctor (it may also prompt questions as to why the cat is not eating the mouse). Clover the Bunny publishes simultaneously. It's twee, but it will have its audience. (Fantasy. 6-9)

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March 1, 2016

K-Gr 2-When Posy the Puppy injures her leg right before Paws and Prizes field day, Dr. KittyCat and her mouse assistant race to the rescue. They do a thorough exam but cannot discover what is wrong. Could something more serious be troubling Posy? The audience for this slight title is somewhat unclear. All of the animals are depicted through black-and-white photographs, while the rest of the illustrations are cartoon-style drawings in purple and black pencil and watercolor. The style, together with the cute animals, suggests a young audience-such as fans of the Doc McStuffins TV show. But despite the visual appeal for emerging readers, the book includes vocabulary words such as bystander, competition, and syringe-terms that will prove difficult for children starting to read on their own. VERDICT Young children will be drawn to the artwork and concept, but the text might make this better suited for one-on-one reading with a parent or for slightly older readers who can't get enough saccharine animal stories.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

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