The team that created First Dog (2009) offers this Christmas-themed sequel narrated by the same bright-eyed, black dog that now lives in the White House. The canine main character is clearly intended to be the Obama family’s Portuguese water dog, Bo, although he is called simply Dog in the text and the Obamas are shown only in partial glimpses. Dog sends out a mass invitation to the White House Christmas Gala to his canine friends, who arrive one by one to share Christmas traditions from their own countries. Small spot illustrations of each dog interacting with the First Dog are supplemented with postcard-style illustrations of relevant holiday customs. This doesn’t break any new ground, and the amount of information on holiday traditions isn’t extensive enough to be useful, but the dogs are appealing. (authors’ note) (Picture book. 5-9)
