Chowder
By Peter Brown
Little, Brown; $15.99
32 pages, ISBN 0316011800

Reviewed by Amy Brozio-Andrews

Chowder's a bulldog with a bit of a problem; he's lonely. He has no friends other than his owners, Madge and Bernie Wubbington. It's not that Chowder hasn't tried making friends. He has; it's just that Chowder's interests (reading the paper, smelling flowers, riding the mechanical pony at the store) don't overlap with most dogs' interests. Things are so bad that the other dogs think Chowder should be in a zoo. Chowder begins to think so, too.

And then one day, while using Bernie's telescope, Chowder spots it -- a billboard announcing the new petting zoo at the Food Ranch supermarket. Clever Chowder sets a plan in motion to get the Wubbingtons to take him to the Food Ranch and Chowder seizes on his opportunity to make friends -- zoo friends!

When Chowder's best attempt to put his best foot forward in the animals' kickball game goes horribly awry, he's afraid he's ruining his last chance at friendship. Until he comes up with a plan, a Chowder-y plan so quirky that it just might work.

It's hard to argue with the people in the story who think Chowder's "just plain weird" when, on the very first page of the book, there's a picture of Chowder, sitting on the toilet instead of going outside. But within a page or two, this bulldog's eccentricities -- perfectly matched with those of his owners -- become hugely endearing.

Sweetly sad illustrations demonstrate Chowder's physical and social distance from his fellow canines: all the other dogs have their bones in hand while Chowder dusts off dinosaur bones in the dirt; all the other dogs stand around while Chowder enjoys the pony ride while wearing his cowboy hat. But author Peter Brown never lets his story become sad or maudlin. By making Chowder as resourceful as he is quirky, the hero of Brown's story will be cheered on by kids as he uses his skills to make friends of his own, friends that appreciate him for who he is. As the story progresses, the placement and demeanor of the animals in the illustrations reflect Chowder's new friendships so that even the very youngest readers will likely be able to follow along with the pictures in the story.

Author and illustrator Brown (Flight of the Dodo) has written a comforting story about fitting in and finding friends that kids will really be able to relate to. The Wubbingtons' love and support of Chowder and all his peculiarities really makes the story; these are characters that let Chowder shine.

Brown's illustrations convey the tone of the book perfectly, adding just the right touch of subtle visual humor that gives Chowder a broad appeal. The muted colors and stylistic renderings give the pictures a retro/modern sort of feel that's fresh and different. Even the cover illustration -- a full-page framed picture of the eponymous pooch -- makes it clear that this isn't your usual doggy tale.

With his warm and straightforward writing and illustrating style, Peter Brown's Chowder has the capacity to entertain both young children and the grown-ups who read to them.