Susan Marie

This is the second book in The Doggy Diva Diaries series, but it can easily be read as a stand-alone.

Miss Olive now has a family to call her very own, one that loves her dearly. When her 'mom' wakes her up one morning, telling her that it's a very special day, Miss Olive is excited. It's her birthday! Together, they go to the park and soon, Miss Olive meets many dogs...some are nice. Others quite mean. But Miss Olive can handle anything with finesse.

Miss Olive is a super sweet dog with just the right pinch of diva and heart. Now, that she has a family, it's time for her to learn how to meet and make friends. But making friends isn't always easy, and that's something young readers/listeners will understand. It's hard not to feel for her when the mean dogs act so bitter, and easy to root for her and hope she finds a way to get past that front to discover real friends. The message is something young listeners can take away with them and use themselves in life...while wishing they would have a dog just like Miss Olive to call their very own.

This is a book made with love. The illustrations are lovely and the care taken to create them is obvious. The colors are bright and bold, and Miss Olive is even sweet to watch as she meets the other dogs. The text is written at a level the audience will understand with only a slightly more difficult word every now and then (which I find strengthens vocabulary). The entire thing is written in rhyme, though, and in this case, I think it would have been better if it hadn't. It makes the wording come across forced and not flow quite as well as it could.

Still, it's a cute book for little dog lovers and has a nice message. I received a complimentary copy and am giving it 3.5 stars and rounding up.… (mais)