Staples recalls every sensorial and emotional detail of her summer as an almost fifth grader when a dog adopts her family. Her father has already told her she can't have a dog, but Suzanne is determined to keep "Jeff." The adult Suzanne remembers the child's loneliness and pain with visceral intensity and creates a memoir not of a dog but of the girl who loves and loses him.

Teachers will cheer to learn that Murphy ( Double the Ducks , above, etc.) has added percentages to his entertaining and educational series dealing with math concepts. The famous Grizzly Parade tops off the last week of Camp Grizzly. Sophie and Daniel are in a race for the honor of leading the festivities as camp mascot, when Corey decides that she would also like to run. As the three campaign throughout the camp, handing out candy, printing t-shirts, cartwheeling, and finding out what the campers want from a mascot, the camp's Grizzly Gazette periodically polls all 100 campers and reports their findings in a pie graph. The pie pieces are labeled with percentages, while the margins show the number of campers who believe they will vote for each candidate. With 100 campers, the numbers of voters and the percentages are equal, making the concept easier for young learners. Social studies teachers should not feel left out, though; this could easily belong to a CitizenStart series, if one existed. Along with the share of votes going to each of the candidates, the pie graph shows the percentage of campers who are undecided. While Daniel and Sophie are busily bribing campers with favors and fancy tricks, Corey comes up with a campaign that will improve Camp Grizzly, and steals the show on Election Day. Murphy includes his standard afterword to help readers get the most from the concepts presented. The section includes activities, suggestions for extending the learning, and a reading list of other books that deal with similar concepts. Bjorkman's ( Skinny and Fats, Best Friends , p. 1137, etc.) cartoon-like illustrations add to the camp feel and keep young readers searching throughout the pages for easily missed details. Especially delightful is the way he includes the camp critters in the elections. This is not one to be left off elementary bookshelves. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9)