cover image Grub in Love

Grub in Love

Abi Burlingham, illus. by Sarah Warburton. Bonnier/Little Bee (S&S, dist.), $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-4998-0134-7

In this sequel to Ruby and Grub, published earlier this year, Ruby isn’t sure how she feels about new neighbor Billy, but her dog, Grub, knows exactly how he feels about Billy’s pet, Tilly. Tilly feels the same, but though their human keepers understand what’s going on, they keep the dogs apart, leading to unhappiness on both sides of the fence. While it takes an oddly long time for the families to reach the obvious decision to bring the dogs together (“We still didn’t know what to do about Grub and Tilly,” says Ruby, mere pages from the end), the sweet, genial energy in Warburton’s illustrations keeps the story afloat. Ages 4–8. (Dec.)