January 1, 2020
This picture book could serve as a tourist's guide to Brooklyn. Yotam has the sort of neighbors anyone might wish for: Debbie, who walks her turtle and pit bull at the same time; the man with a big bushy beard; the man with 10 cats. (The neighborhood is multicultural, but Yotam's family is white.) All the neighbors try to help out when Yotam's dog runs away after being startled. He had tied Bailey's leash to a metal chair, which is pretty much the definition of "accident waiting to happen," and no pet owner will have trouble believing the book was inspired by a true story. The creators--especially VanderPloeg--get every detail right: There's the woman with the "BUSY LADY" tote bag. There's Yotam's anxious fantasy that Bailey is at the Prospect Park Zoo, sleeping on a branch like a monkey. The off-kilter perspective in the illustrations is enchanting but difficult to describe; if Grandma Moses and Maira Kalman could have a baby, that baby would paint this book. The tone of the story moves flawlessly from genuinely hilarious (the scene where Bailey runs with a metal chair even incorporates sound effects) to bittersweet and mysterious: Bailey returns, but she's slightly injured, and the last line is: "He would never know where she had gone those missing nights, but he knew where she would be sleeping tonight." Whew. Readers may finish this book and move straight to Brooklyn. (Picture book. 5-8)
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February 10, 2020
LePape, Bailey’s real-life owner, is ably assisted by Sohn (The Actress for adults) in telling this ripped-from-the-headlines story—well, ripped from a 2016 New York Times “Pet City” column, at any rate. Bailey bolts from her owners’ customary coffee shop stop after being startled by a passerby. At the forefront of the effort to bring her home is her family: Ima and her two sons, Yotam and Emile, who plaster the neighborhood with posters. But a vivid secondary cast of sympathetic friends (Omar the shop owner, Mike the sanitation worker, and Felicia the mail carrier) and helpful strangers (“That way!” points a woman with a briefcase as Bailey scoots away) offer kind assists. VanderPloeg makes a lively picture book debut with fluid digital illustrations that include a double-spread, block-by-block map of the story’s Brooklyn setting; she combines a cosmopolitan aesthetic with a keen reportorial eye, immersing readers in the bustling energy of a close-knit, upscale community. Ages 4–8.
March 20, 2020
K-Gr 3-A young boy's frightened dog runs away, and folks in the boy's Brooklyn neighborhood help search for her. Tied to a metal chair outside a shop, Bailey topples the chair and takes off when a woman accidentally crashes into her. Dragging the chair, which is now attached to her leash, Bailey races across the street between beeping cars, only becoming freed when the leash gets caught on a fence. Unfortunately, her leash and ID tag are left behind, too. People point where they see the dog heading, a store owner prints the boy's "missing" posters for free, and the mail carrier and sanitation worker spread the word. But Bailey remains missing for two nights-until a poop deposit signals she is not far away. A welcome home party follows Bailey's return. The digital illustrations depict elongated figures set against a neighborhood background that features a diverse set of characters. A lovely spread contains a grid of streets divided into squares, each revealing the energetic life of the community, from bagel shops to fruit stands to parks. Eagle-eyed readers will recognize characters from former pages now depicted in miniature. VERDICT This is a delightful visit to a vibrant Brooklyn neighborhood and a wonderful model of neighborly care.-Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA
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