Meet the pups!

K-Gr 2--This media tie-in to the new Apple+ show "Pretzel and the Puppies" mostly serves as a brief introduction to the characters and a cursory glance at one of their adventures. The first half of the book focuses on presenting the setting and the puppies. Each puppy is introduced with a full-page spread. Unfortunately, the dogs seem to be defined by some traditional gender roles: the boys are funny or like sports, while the girls like to read or dance. However, as the story unfolds, these characteristics don't play out too much as each puppy helps out equally to achieve a common goal. The plot, centered on creating a parade for the enjoyment of the town, seems to reinforce the series' focus on service and community. Sentence structure is pretty simple, though some harder words are used. VERDICT A decent introduction with some missteps.--Peter Blenski