This Tender McDuff Tale Feels Like Home

I have had my fair share of experiences with dogs going astray. Usually on such occasions, we hop in the car and cruise the neighborhood, happening upon a certain familiar-looking canine a couple blocks away and coaxing her into the car with a few claps of our hands and, if we're especially well prepared, a dog treat or two. Sometimes, though, the neighborhood patrol yields nothing and we spend the next several hours wondering where in the world she could have gotten to. McDuff Comes Home is a book for such occasions.

Written by Rosemary Wells, this gentle picture book begins with McDuff, who looks to be a West Highland Terrier, lounging outside on a sunny day. Usually he's content to lie in his favorite spot in the garden, listening to "the voices of the people he loved," appreciatively sniffing "the snappy smell of Fred's frying sausages, the velvety smell of Lucy's vanilla rice pudding." But on this day, as the window is closed, he feels disconnected, so when a diversion arrives in the form of a fat rabbit in the neighbor's yard, McDuff doesn't hesitate. He makes chase. And before he knows it, he's in a strange yard surrounded by strange vegetables, and his cozy home is nowhere in sight.

Susan Jeffers' paintings are detailed and beautiful, with bright colors and expressive realism bringing each character to life. I especially love the two-page spread showing McDuff chasing the rabbit all around the yard; Jeffers achieves the effect of motion with a progression of 11 pairs of pooch and Peter Cottontail. She uses a similar method for her later illustration of Mrs. Higgins, a hip old lady in a purple dress who puts McDuff in the side car of her motorcycle and sets off to find his family.

McDuff is absolutely adorable, and between Jeffers' attention to his shiny nose and inquisitive eyes and Wells' over-the-shoulder narration, we have a very good idea how this dog is feeling throughout the course of the story. His aim is not mischief; he just can't resist the curiosity awakened by the rabbit's appearance. His love of the couple who care for him shines through the adventure, though, guiding the book to its inevitably warm and fuzzy conclusion.

McDuff Comes Home is written in a simple style with paintings in whose richness it is easy to get lost. Dog lovers of all ages can enjoy this tender tale, and toddlers who fall asleep with visions of McDuff dancing in their heads can expect sweet dreams indeed.