Isabel Allende is one of my favourite authors of books for adults so when I saw she had a new children’s book out, I knew it was going to be brilliant!

Narrated by Perla, a rescue dog full of character and enthusiasm, it’s a story about hope and friendship. Perla is adopted by a family in need of a guide dog but she soon finds she needs to help seven year old Nico Rico deal with the local bullies.

The story was brilliantly written and the illustrations by Sandy Rodriguez are beautiful - this is a lovely book to share or for a child just gaining confidence with moving on from picture books to longer stories. It’s the start of a series too and I can’t wait to read more!

Sweet - adopted dog helps his owner find his roar.

Perla's narration makes this a very sweet story. Following her adoption (by using her two superpowers of making everyone love her and being able to ROAR) she makes herself a beloved part of the family, and helps her youngest family member there stand up to a bully at school.

Could easily be made into a series of adventures with Perla and her family, this was a lovely snippet of family life, with teenager, cat and parents as well as Nico surrounding Perla in a short but complete story.

Lovely illustrations of everyone, cute little eyes and animals, great dog's-eye-view of the human world.

For ages 4-8.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

What a dream of a book. A sweet story about the relationship between a boy and his rescue dog with a strong message on how to stand up to a bully.

Nico and Perla are very close and Nico shares his secrets with her, including the effect that a bully at school has on him. Perla would love to help but doesn’t know how. But then her own act of bravery one day in the park shows Nico how to he too can get the better of his bully. With gorgeous illustrations for Sandy Rodrigues, this is a definite buy. Very much looking forward to it being published.

Both Nico Rico and Perla are mighty, relatable and sweet.
A charming book about solidarity, agency, standing up for yourself and friendship.
The drawings are a great fit for this tender story, and I would have read this even if I did not have a child.