Rocket Puppies

Gr 1-3–Cuteness alert! In a tale that should probably come with a cautionary label, Joyce introduces a squad of button-eyed, space-traveling puppies exuberantly riding jet packs to the rescue, “ruff-ruff-ready to use their super Rocket Puppy powers,” against arch-meanie Snarly McBummerpants—a multi-legged scowler in a tailcoat and very high trousers, who has so swathed the world in aggressive globs of Mopey Smoke that even the meatballs are sad of face and down in the dumps. But can even heart-melting “Puppy-Ray Vision,” which is capable of instantly turning gloom to glee (and a pair of bullies bearing a strong resemblance to Abbott and Costello into florists) while driving the Mopey Smoke away, prevail against the glowering uber-grump? Time to call out the “big guns,” meaning the tiniest puppy of all, little Brad, for a nose to nose, mite to monster, staring contest. Who will prevail? The pages are filled with clouds of giggles and glitter rainbows, with puppies rocketing around to a general chorus of “AWWWWWWWWWW!” Young audiences will certainly chime in.