by Madeline L’Engle; illus. by Christine Davenier

SeaStar Books, 2001

Image from the author’s website

“This summer…my mistress went away for several days,” begins the poodle Touché L’Engle-Franklin, “And when she came back, she brought with her another dog.”  This charming story about gaining a new family member finds humor and feeling in Touché’s belief that the new baby is another dog.  At first, Touché does not understand why her owners would need another dog, since Touché is such a talented, patient, and useful dog herself.  Young children anticipating new siblings may sympathize with Touché’s skepticism: “until this other dog was brought into our home (without warning), my master and mistress seemed perfectly happy with me.”  Touché points out all of the things that are “mysterious and horrifying” about the new member of the family.  But as Touché spends more time with Jo, the new “dog,” she begins to warm to her, deciding that as the more experienced dog it is her responsibility to help take care of Jo.  Davenier’s sketchy watercolors keep focus on the characters and perfectly express Touché’s vibrancy and emotive range. Includes an author’s note from Madeline L’Engle telling the true story of Touché and Jo, with her own illustrations of the family.  

(This review was originally submitted as part of my picture book overview for Materials for Children class)