Charlie the Ranch Dog: Charlie's New Friend (I Can Read Book 1)
This adaptation of a story from the author&#x2019;s Charlie the Ranch Dog (2011) into a beginning reader retains the beaglecentric tale and offers a truly engaging experience for emerging readers. The new friend in the subtitle is a pesky rabbit, from whom Charlie knows he needs to protect the garden produce. But in an elegant twist on the typical farmer-versus-wildlife plot, they reach a truce that can serve as a springboard for discussions of cooperation and negotiation. Instead of the illustrations merely repeating the text&#x2014;or vice versa&#x2014;deGroat provides additional elements to the story in her gently colored and humorously expressive pictures, and Drummond&#x2019;s text narrates Charlie&#x2019;s doggie thought process. Wide landscapes, big blue skies, and a cozy kitchen garden make for a gentle setting to this lightly silly tale. It&#x2019;s as much fun as Jane O&#x2019;Connor&#x2019;s Fancy Nancy series, and the outdoor setting and animal theme will have broad appeal. Grades K-2. --Francisca Goldsmith