Please, Puppy, Please

Filmmaker Spike Lee and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, again hit the mark with their second picture book. A preschool brother and sister spend the day taking care of their new puppy, who is bent on mischief. If he's not chasing the cat, he's rolling in the mud. The siblings are quite serious about getting their new charge to behave, but have little control over such exuberance. Children will also relate to the experience of trying to control the uncontrollable. Kadir Nelson's luminous illustrations bring the text to life, highlighting action and emotion. Particularly evocative is the final spread showing the loving siblings together in a hug with a blissful puppy. This is a good choice for group sharing or one-on-one reading, preschool-grade one.