Spunky tells all by Ann Cameron illustrated by Lauren Castillo

"I lay on my belly and pulled myself forward, creeping toward Ralph's socks.  My fur caught loudly on the rough places of the rug. Ralph couldn't hear a sound. His ears were not good enough.  This is another question I must put to the ancestors.  Why do humans have such big ears when they can hardly hear anything?  What exactly is the point? But right then I had work.  I had reached the socks.  I dropped my head. I sniffed deeply. A sweet, ripe scent filled my nostrils. I opened my jaws. The socks  went into my mouth! Thousands of tiny lights flashed in spangled colors!"

Spunky is a middle aged dog (he is fourteen in human years) who lives with the Bates family.  While he can understand human language the family cannot speak dog.  In Spunky tells all, Spunky himself tries to make sense of his family all the while bemoaning their daily lack of understanding of his needs and habits.  The whole book is told from his point of view which is so funny.

Everything is going well until this incident with the sock.  After a long discussion, in which Spunky tries unsuccessfully to contribute his point of view,  the family decide Spunky needs a friend.  The friend will be a cat!  They go to the animal shelter and select Fiona - she is a cat who smells of foolish.

Somewhat like the relationship between Stuart Little and Snowbell the cat.  These two disparate souls have to find a way to live together.  Actually Spunky demonstrates amazing heroism when Fiona places her self in two life threatening situations.  Once in the toilet and later in the freezer drawer.

This is a perfect book.  It made me smile from page one to page 105.  It would be brilliant to read aloud or give to a young child who is ready for chapters.  Read this review if I have not convinced you that this book is special.  Here is a link to the author web site.

I have discovered that this is a book in a series by Ann Cameron about all the members of the Bates family.  We only have one of the ten titles in our school library Julian Secret Agent but I plan to add more.