Odd Dog Out

One of these things is not like the other in this orderly dachshund universe. In repeating patterns of pups—business hounds in suit, tie, and bowler; a team of striped doggy footballers; a crew of swimmers in polka-dot caps—“they all blend in. No dog stands out.” Except for Odd Dog, who dons a rainbow scarf with matching hat and is conspicuous in every otherwise homogenous crowd. Feeling “on her own and out of place,” she packs her case and hits the road for “Doggywood,” a bustling city of dogs that align with her aesthetics. After expressing pity for a sweater-sporting outlier who reveals a fondness for standing out, Odd Dog realizes her folly and heads for home, where her absence, meanwhile, has taught her peers to individuate themselves. In cheery colors and upbeat rhyme, Biddulph writes an inviting narrative of self-discovery interwoven with tidy images of dachshunds of all sorts. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)