If a dalmatian became a dalmartian, would he have special powers? Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * If a dalmatian became a dalmartian, would he have special powers? Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? If a dalmatian became a dalmartian, would he have special powers? A quirky tale by Canadian-born, now Brooklyn-based writer and artist Lucy Ruth Cummins, (Atheneum, 48 pages, $24, hardcover) suggests how a boy and a space dog could strike up a friendship. When a spaceship visiting Earth accidentally leaves one of its inhabitants behind, the dalmartian (white with green spots) moves into the boy’s home. Dog lovers will enjoy watching the dalmartian’s smarts: he insists on sleeping on the bed, he prefers bacon to dog food and he is shocked by bathroom habits at the dog park.
Boy and dog bond, and both are nostalgic when the dalmartian has to return home. Cummins’ artwork, done in darker colours with ink and charcoal, helps emphasize the out-of-this-world quality of this early reader tale. She is the executive art director of Simon & Schuster Books and has also written , and .
Ages 4-8. ● ● ● Prolific Canadian writer Deborah Ellis has written another first-class story with a memorable main character in (Groundwood, 248 pages, $19, hardcover). It features 12-year-old Kate (or Krate as she comes to be) who, while abandoned and angry, uses her powers of resilience and invention to set.