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Smelly Peggy
CCBC Review:
Pie, the narrator of this rollicking picture book, introduces the reader to their rescue dog, Peggy, a curly-haired thing not much bigger than a loaf of bread. “What do you think of her? Do you think she looks nice? Well, she’s not. She’s naughty.” In fact, Peggy’s naughtiness knows no bounds. In the morning, Mom gets “an extra-slobbery lick,” and Dad gets the other end—dog butt to the face—before Peggy makes off with Mom’s underwear. But there’s more. “So, when we first got Peggy, she didn’t even know what a stick was. And now? She LOVES sticks.” What does she do with them? Mows down her family as she runs past with an extra-large one. “PEGGGY!” Of course, there’s also the habit that results in Peggy’s titular moniker: She loves to roll in smelly things, especially “POOP! Rabbit poop, seagull poop, all the poops! Can you believe it? SMELLY PEGGY!” Once Peggy is sufficiently stinky, she brings the odor home and rubs it all over the carpet before being forced into the bathtub (to be followed by “the big shakedown”). “But do you think we love her? Do we? Of course we do! No one is perfect.” It’s impossible not to laugh at the protagonist’s eager, childlike voice. Despite the complaining, Pie’s love for Peggy is obvious. Appealing crayon-and-watercolor illustrations depict Pie with light skin and red hair, and carefree Peggy with irresistibly cute charm.
Illustrated by Helen Stephens
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 3-5
Age Range:
Babies/Toddlers (birth – 3)
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Publisher:
Candlewick
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781536235722
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Stephens