Scout

Scout is a black terrier with big, glinting eyes; he sometimes looks as if he’s peering at readers through binoculars. He has lost his beloved red ball: “It is shiny and red and rounder than anything else,” he says. Cleo the long-necked cat, Frankie the fish, and Harvey the hamster, however, express doubt that the ball is all it’s cracked up to be. Stories like this sometimes end with a humbling moment for the hero, but not this one. When the ball turns up, it’s everything Scout promises: “[N]ot even Frankie could say his bowl was rounder.” Once they’ve convinced the mouse that took the ball that it’s a ball, not cheese (“That is horrible!” says the mouse after a sample bite), all is well. Newcomer McMillan’s clean graphic shapes and flat colors keep the pages stripped-down and simple. While the story is light-hearted, it doesn’t appear to flow from any particular experience or aim itself toward any particular audience. The prose has the feel of an early reader, making this a fine choice for children working on solo reading. Ages 4–6. (Sept.)