GOTCHA DAY

A pup seeks a home.

A scruffy stray roams the streets, “untamed. / No-named.” With eyes and tail downturned and leaves stuck to matted fur, the pooch wonders where to go. Four vignettes depict an animal control officer capturing the dog: “PANICKED, / scared. / Cornered… / snared.” The pup is then taken to a shelter to be “washed, / groomed, / brushed, / perfumed”…and to wait. Many people walk by the dog’s cage, but no one stops until one day, the most wondrous words are heard: “Hold up! / THIS PUP!” A tot is pointing excitedly. The two become fast friends, and the tale ends with the question many pet owners ponder: “Who rescued WHO?” Kerbel’s spare, staccato text heightens emotions while drawing out pauses and landing on sturdy, rhyming words: “Crate, / grate. / Sit and… // WAIT.” Paired with Lugo’s deeply saturated illustrations (which feature some joyously blurry tail wagging), this tale will captivate young readers. The child appears to be biracial; one parent presents East Asian, while the other appears white. In a final scene, the whole family celebrates the pup’s Gotcha Day, defined in an author’s note as the anniversary of a pet’s adoption.

An exuberant reminder to adopt, not shop.