Stinky Spike and the Royal Rescue

K-Gr 2—It is a quiet morning out at sea, and Captain Fishbeard, Stinky Spike, and all their pirate friends are busy taking a nap, but that changes when the ship crashes into and destroys King Seabreeze's royal vessel. The king is furious and locks all the pirates away in the dungeons—which is not a great place to be cooped up with Stinky Spike, the smelliest dog on the high seas. However, their luck begins to change when Princess Petunia seeks out the best sniffer around to help her locate her lost pup, Honey. Stinky Spike takes charge and lends a paw. But finding Honey is harder than Spike and Princess Petunia thought. With help along the way, the two travel the high seas to recapture the lost poodle from Captain Bart and his band of blustering pirates. The character-driven story line is simple, yet there is complexity in the wonderful sensory language. The color illustrations aid comprehension and support and extend the text on each page. VERDICT This is a must-purchase for libraries with growing or solid collections of early reader chapter books.—Brittney Kosev, Honey/Rush Elementary, Lubbock, TX

"The character-driven story line is simple, yet there is a complexity in the wonderful sensory language. . . . This is a must-purchase for libraries with growing or solid collections of early reader chapter books." - School Library Journal

"With funny characters and an engaging yet simple plotline, this will fly off the shelves." —School Library Journal on STINKY SPIKE THE PIRATE DOG

"Stinky Spike's adventures will delight and engage children. The author's use of humor and Stinky Spike's love for the foulest smells make this book a real hit! This would definitely be a favorite for my 6 year old!" —Kendra Hall-Kenyon, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, Brigham Young University

"This imaginary rumpus is just right for beginners to successfully read and reread." —Kirkus Reviews on SEE ME RUN by Paul Meisel

"Read & Bloom will be wildly popular. And I am very happy to see some new friendship books come along with the end of the Elephant and Piggie books." —Teri Lesesne, Professor of Library Science at Sam Houston State University

"Funny and appealing, the Read & Bloom books will charm readers." —Linda M. Pavonetti, Ed.D., professor of Reading and Language Arts at Oakland University