RUFFERELLA

This breezy twist on Cinderella from a British team puts the wag in waggish. Fairy godmother wannabe Diamante "desperately wanted to turn something into something," and decides to turn her dog Ruff into a girl. No magic wand? No problem. There's a bit of Henry Higgins in young Diamante, who quickly transforms her pet with frilly clothes, a bow in her hair—er, ears—makeup and etiquette lessons. Ruff carries off the charade with aplomb, and her "amazingly sweet, low voice" soon catapults her into a singing career. Diamante laments that the glitz of celebrity leaves "no time for playing soccer or rolling around on the carpet, like they used to," but an invitation to meet the queen changes all that: when sausages are served, Ruff's true identity is revealed in a romp down the royal dinner table, and Diamante regains her much-missed pet. Gill-Brown tucks a message about the importance of being oneself into her delectable tale, spicing it with British slang ("telly," "fancy a trip to the park") and a heap of wit. Stanley makes the most of the delightfully improbable set-up with a series of sweetly droll watercolors that pirouette across pastel backdrops. In this paper-over-board volume, Ruff consistently steals the show, whether perched in the back of a limousine wearing sunglasses or seated under the hairdryer at a beauty salon, ears tweaked into a frothy curlicue and legs crossed daintily as she reads a magazine. Ages 4-10. (Mar.)