Blue Daisy by Helen Frost (review)

“A dog shows up one summer day” and friends Sam (in verse) and Katie (in prose) tell the story of how the stray pup changes their neighborhood and their lives. When the dog settles for a snooze in Sam’s backyard, the two kids impulsively sweep a paintbrush of blue paint across her back, creating a blue daisy. While the painted symbol draws the attention of the neighborhood and turns the dog from random mutt to local personality, Sam and Katie struggle with their identity as good kids after treating an animal as an object and try to win the pooch’s trust back. Talented poet Frost is particularly good at making her conversational verse part of the same world as her prose, rather than the two narratives stylistically conflicting. The book is acute about Sam and Katie’s uncomfortable realization that behavior is what determines identity, and that they may be slotting the brother and sister they think of as bullies into a role rather than fairly evaluating the pair’s actions—and their own (“Michael and Miranda are the mean ones, I remind myself. Sam and I are nice”). It’s a slightly old-fashioned scenario, especially in the contentedly free-roaming town pup, but the emotions and ethical notes ring true, and kids will find much food for thought here. Shepperson’s friendly monochromatic line and watercolor art is sweet and homey, a tonal match to the text. A neighbor’s recipes are included, and an author’s note discusses the poetry.