Camp K-9

K-Gr 2—Roxie, a young pup, goes off to camp for the first time. During the bus ride she worries about what the other dogs might think of her and hides her blankie in her pooch pouch. When she arrives, she is cautious around the new campers and tentative with her bunkmates, troubled that someone will find out about her secret. An annoying poodle named Lacy is mean and bossy to everyone around her. One afternoon, during pup paddle time, she disappears and Roxie and the other campers and their counselor look everywhere for her. They end up back at the Mutt Hut and find Lacy on her bunk with her own blankie. Rather than tease her, Roxie gets out hers and expects the worst to happen. To her surprise, all of the other pups pull out theirs, too. The story line seems a bit contrived, but the soft watercolor, pen, and colored-pencil cartoons enhance the mood and capture the campers' expressions throughout.—Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI