TREE DOG

A 12-year-old girl befriends a 35ish-year-old (in dog years) canine during an unexpected summer of learning and growing in the forests of the Sierra Nevada.

A born acrobat, Tiana loves to climb trees, where tranquility awaits. Fortunately, a summer of camping and wildlife research with her high school science teacher parents stretches before her. Then, the pipsqueak climber finds a dog in a treetop. As Tiana and Tree Dog learn about and from each other, the pair discover the hard, essential work required of conservation dogs (canines that assist scientists by sniffing out endangered animals). Much like her previous dog-centric verse novel, Mountain Dog (2013), Engle’s latest leverages fascinating ecological facts and an amiable tone to bolster an earnest tale told in chapters alternating between child and dog. Though the reappearance of Tree Dog’s former owner initially threatens to derail the central pair’s deepening connection, the author weaves that thread into the overarching theme of inclusive community. Tiana’s journey through the U.S. naturalization process—her mom is white and Canadian; her dad is Cuban—proves utterly compelling, including her quibbles with the Oath of Allegiance’s more questionable components: “It’s exciting, except for the part / that tells me to swear an oath / to bear arms / against all enemies / foreign and domestic.” Davis’ expressive art inserts offer much-welcomed glimpses into all the fun.

A sweet, beguiling summertime treat.