Daisy and the puppy by Lisa Shanahan and Sara Acton

Scholastic, 2013. ISBN 9781742830513.
(Age: 5+) Recommended. Picture book. Pets. Who hasn't had the idea of getting a pup brewing within the family? That need is behind this lovely picture book, beautifully told by Shanahan with matching illustrations by Acton, which will readily tug at the heart strings.
Daisy and her family go to the pet shop every Saturday and look at the pets. A whole range is offered, but Daisy wants a pup. So decided is she that she begins to act like a dog, she sleeps in a wicker basket, adds a tail to her backside, howls at passing ambulances and fire engines, and washes all the dogs in the neighbourhood.
Eventually she wins and the family brings home a pup from the pet shop. But the youngest sibling is not so sure about the puppy in the household, and several scenes are played out where the addition of the puppy may be reversed. A funny and neat resolution to the problem occurs which will brings smiles to all faces.
The charming illustrations, in gouache and watercolour, sweep easily across the pages, flowing with the movement of a young family, adding a substantial background to the already endearing story. A few seemingly simple lines create the faces of the family, and the pup's movements are beautifully captured with blobs of grey watercolour, corralled by line drawings. The small things of a family's life are scattered across each page and the intimacy of sleeping, bathing, shopping together, all given an outing that children will love to see.
Fran Knight