Pug by Ethan Long is a sweet, easy to read picture book all about a Pug who wants to see his doggy friend!

This book is an excellent tool to get young readers starting to read. There are short, simple sentences that also have a tiny rhyming scheme. This story is a great way to encourage young readers to help read along, and perhaps get them to tell their own stories with the pictures.

The illustrations are incredible and it's just a fun, simple and sweet story! Definitely a book I'll be sharing!

Three out of five stars. ( )

This is a very simple early reader book with only a few words on each page. It also features a repetitive phrase that will make it easier for young readers to grasp. The illustrations are engaging and will also help young readers figure out what it happening in the book.

I have to admit that, in general, I do not share the public's adoration of pugs. I am really not a fan of small dogs in general. However, I am a fan of Ethan Long and he rocks the easy reader format in this entry in Holiday House's I Like to Read series.

Pug looks out the window and sees his friend Peg going on a walk, in the snow. He tries to coax each member of the family into taking him out but to no avail until he threatens Tad with a leg lift. But is he too late? Will he find Peg?

Long's cartoon art has been compared to Mo Willems but he has a style that is very much his own, Sleek, clean lines blend with solid blocks of color to create pictures that are funny without too many intricate details distracting from the text. The text itself is one of the rare titles that is truly an emergent reader with simple, repeating words and phrases.

The only drawback is the format of the book, which for this series is in picture book size, and the lighter color of the font - I prefer a darker, more contrasting font myself.

Verdict: Although I have some issues with this series, this book is almost perfect and I strongly recommend adding it to your easy reader sections. I usually request multiple titles from this series for use in early literacy classes and this one is definitely going on the list.

ISBN: 9780823436453; Published 2016 by Holiday House; Borrowed from another library in my consortium