Percy, Dog of Destiny

PreS-Gr 1—Percy, the Dog of Destiny, is on his way to the dog park with his ball and friends Molly, Fluffy, and Oatmeal Raisin Cookie in tow. When they finally hit the park (sans leashes), they run along the fence, sniff everything in sight, dig holes, and pee on trees. Readers quickly learn the canines' personalities while watching them play with their favorite objects: Molly and her kerchief, Cookie and her Frisbee, large Fluffy and his bone, and Percy and HIS BALL. A refrain notes each time Percy's big and absurdly named friend does something differently (resting with feet up, sniffing flowers, communing with ducklings), but when a crafty, weasel-like squirrel distracts the group long enough to steal Percy's precious ball, it's Fluffy who unexpectedly manages to leave his bone long enough for a ball-saving leap. Simple art in pencil and digital paint with a variation of fonts creates an uncluttered flow for the action of the characters and opportunities for inference in a tale for those who love their four-legged canine friends.