PUSHKIN MEETS THE BUNDLE

Pushkin, a very personable white dog in a red sweater, loves his life, living with his people, Kate and Michael, on a quiet street, sharing their lives and sleeping in their bedroom. Then one night, they don't come home on time; when they finally arrive, they bring a bundle with them--the new baby that might have been inferred from Kate's baggy sweaters. Ignored and cast out of the bedroom, Pushkin does what any red-blooded sibling would do: acts up, considers running away, gets scolded. When only Pushkin's doggy tricks amuse and quiet the baby, the dog admits that he might come to like the baby after all. This take on the new-baby situation is rendered in bright, flat gouache colors; there is a fair amount of humor in the illustrations and Saaf shows a nice command of visual pattern and repetition, full of child appeal.