JAMES, Laura. Captain Pug. illus. by Églantine Ceulemans. 128p. Bloomsbury. Mar. 2017. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781681193809; pap. $16.99. ISBN 9781681193816.

Gr 1-3 –Meet Pug. He lives with his best friend, Lady Miranda; her housekeeper; and two running footmen. Today, the two friends have been invited to go pedal boating. Lady Miranda dubs her canine pal Captain Pug. Being terrified of water, the dog isn’t so thrilled. Soon Pug gets separated from Lady Miranda before he can become a real captain. He ends up on the adventure of his life, which involves picnic baskets, a bus, a rowing team, and even a girl in a dinghy. Meanwhile, Lady Miranda and her footmen are desperate to find Pug and look high and low to find him. Pug is a fun, engaging character, while Lady Miranda is caring and will remind young readers of Fancy Nancy and Eloise. The plot is simple but humorous. The text and illustrations are well balanced and will encourage children transitioning to chapter books. The illustrations are detailed and complement the text, adding depth and humor to the story. VERDICT Fans of dogs and animal adventures will have a hard time putting this one down.–Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City

This review was published in the School Library Journal October 2016 issue.