I had to double-check the author several times while reading Jenkins’ “That New Animal;” I was half-convinced it was written, in fact, by my dogs under a pen name. For had they the power to put pen to paw about their experiences upon the arrival of the human ‘sister,’ this is the book they would have written. FudgeFudge, the more daring of the two canines in this wonderful book, and Marshmallow, the more practical one, presumably live a cozy existence with tummy scratching, stick throwing and couch sitting–until “that new animal” comes along. The dogs do NOT like that new animal “not even a little bit.” The dogs wonder aloud why they get in trouble for barking or whining or accidents on the rug while that new animal just cries all day long and smells funny. They contemplate new ways to lose that new animal they hate so much. But when someone called Grandpa arrives one day to visit that new animal, the dogs are not so sure they are willing to share their animal, for even though they don’t like it, it is THEIR animal, not this Grandpa’s and he has no right to go near it. By the end, the title character has progressed from being “that new animal” to simply “that animal;” a nod to the dogs’ acceptance of the baby they have reluctantly grown to love.

This heartwarming picture book is filled with simple but vivid two-page illustrations. The pictures could tell the story alone, in fact. We see the dogs sniffing the baby, bringing over toys and sticks and being ignored by cooing new parents. (The picture of Marshmallow on his back with his legs in the air for tummy-scratching is so dead-on that our daughter, who loves this book as much as I do, now calls our Tino “Marshmallow” most of the time.) Then we see the dreaded Grandpa, the dogs barking and the Grandpa leaving. At the end, we see two dogs, one baby, one couch and lots of little pink tongues on the baby’s face. Even after the story ends, on the very last page, we see more pictures that demonstrate the “happily ever after” we crave in picture books.

“That New Animal” has officially become my ‘go-to’ baby shower gift to any friends with dogs, it is that perfect.

Posted by: Cindy