It's Monday! What are you reading?

Thanks to Jen at TeachMentorText  and Kellee at UnleashingReaders for the weekly meme highlighting children's literature - picture books to young adult.  Don't forget to visit their sites so you can see what everyone else is reading this week!

Little Dog,  Lost by Marion Dane Baurer and illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

Anyone who has longed for a dog, lost a dog or just needed a friend will love this book.  Buddy, the little dog, has been brought to a new home because her old family is moving to the city and can't have a dog.  Mark is a little bog who longs for a dog, but his mom says no.  And then there is Mr Larue, a lonesome old man that everyone in town is afraid of.  The novel is told in verse which I really enjoyed.
Kids will love this repeating line;

"Little black dog with brown paws

and a brown mask

and a sweet ruffle of brown fur on her bum

just beneath her black whip of a tail."

The story goes back and forth between different settings so there is a slight feeling of suspense as you wait and try to predict how all these characters will come together.  One of my favorite parts is when Mark explains to his mom how much he needs a dog.  A sweet story of friendship, love and what it means to be a community.  I think this book would go well with Because of Winn Dixie or A Dog Called Homeless. 

So what are you reading this week?