TEDDY & FREDDY

A foster dog looks for his forever family and learns how to appreciate his unique qualities in Downing’s picture book.

Teddy is a loveable foster dog with “a white stripe on the top of [his] little furry head”; the “white tip of [his] tail looks like it’s been dipped in a pail.” He lives with his foster mom and his best friend, Freddy the Flea. One day, his caretaker takes him to a pet adoption event in the hope of finding Teddy a permanent home. At the fair, Teddy delights in seeing the variety of dogs up for adoption, but when a string of children (mostly light-skinned, with one dark-skinned child in the mix) dismiss him, Teddy loses heart. With encouragement from Freddy and his foster mom, Teddy perseveres—until a little light-skinned girl with red hair named Nettie exclaims how perfect he is and takes him home with her. Teddy’s story is heartwarming and encouraging to young readers who may be struggling with self-esteem. Velazquez’s brightly colored illustrations are as fun as Teddy’s personality, making for an enjoyable read. However, the text gets tripped up in forcing the AABB rhyme scheme at times and completely abandoning it at others. Additionally, a shifting point of view between first and third person may make this book difficult for young readers to understand.

A doggone cute story (with some bumpy execution) about being true to yourself.