Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

We've heard from both Julian and Huey (The Stories Julian Tells, BCCB 1/82; The Stories Huey Tells, BCCB 12/95) in the Bates family, as well as their friend Gloria (Gloria's Way, BCCB 2/00), but we haven't heard from the Bates family pets—until now. Spunky is Huey's beloved pooch, mostly happy with his domestic lot despite his humans' tragic inability to speak Dog. It's that language barrier that leads to a terrible misunderstanding: believing that Spunky needs animal company, the family acquires a cat. Spunky, however, is incensed by vain, ditzy Fiona (who "smells of Foolish") and wishes the house were rid of her—or does he? This is more an animal story than a genuine continuation of the adventures of Julian et al., but it's no less solid for that. While there's plenty of humor based on crossed dog-human understanding, this is really a character and relationship story, following Spunky as he gets used to what is basically an annoying new sister and as he demonstrates his importance to Huey in an ultimately deeply touching tribute to the dog-kid bond. The characterization of Fiona is masterful yet economic, neatly capturing the svelte, smug cluelessness that is par for the feline course while also making it understandable that Spunky (or "Dog," as she airily calls him) eventually comes to love her. [End Page 137] Chapters are neatly self-contained for reading aloud or alone, and the solid-lined monochromatic spot art, focused firmly on the critters and not the people, has the friendly openness of Spunky himself. Dog fans looking for something a little deeper than Nolan's Down Girl and Sit (Smarter than Squirrels, BCCB 11/04) will delight in Spunky's tail-wagging tale-telling, which could introduce a new generation of kids to the Bates family chronicles.