Gully's Travels

Gulliver, an affable but snobbish Lhasa apso, lives at a fashionable Manhattan address, enjoys opera and looks forward to yearly trips to Paris where he reconnects with Chloe, a Maltese with “eyes as black as raisins,” while “his” professor enjoys a nightly tête-à-tête with the beautiful Madeline de Crecy, who is allergic to long-haired dogs. When Madeline accepts the professor's marriage proposal, Gulliver is dispatched to live at the doorman's “tasteless, overcrowded,” no-frills apartment in Queens, with kids who treat “Gully” like an indestructible plaything. Gulliver, believing he's been kidnapped, cunningly retraces his steps, first to Manhattan, then to Paris. The real journey takes place in his heart, where he comes to understand that although “loyalty is the hallmark of a well-bred dog,” his has been misplaced. Seidler (Mean Margaret ) transfers human foibles to his animal characters in well-modulated comic prose, while Cole (Good Enough to Eat ) creates expressive canines in fluid line drawings. A spirited animal fantasy for the chapter book set. All ages. (Sept.)