The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Unicorn by Bella Swift (review)

Peggy the pug puppy doesn’t fare well in her first home and ends up at a shelter, where a family agrees to foster the pup over the Christmas holiday to give the shelter—and Peggy—a little relief. Peggy quickly falls in love with the family, and the family, especially oldest daughter Chloe, seems similarly enraptured, but Peggy’s hopes of a forever home are dashed when she realizes that Chloe doesn’t really want a dog but a unicorn, like the one in her favorite television show. Peggy tries everything she can think of to transform into the majestic creature, but she’s still just a little pug. Will her wish to Santa (and the snow-unicorn she helps the children build) come true? This UK import is the first in a series, following Peggy and her (spoiler alert) new family as she hopes to be a reindeer, pumpkin, bunny, you name it. Originally published in 2018, Peggy’s adventures will have anglophiles, dog lovers, graduates of Curious George, and fans of Mercy Watson begging for the rest of the series. Interspersed with tooth-achingly sweet doodles, Swift’s prose goes down easy, with enough new vocabulary (and British idioms) to challenge readers and spark mini-language arts lessons. Add this to your chapter book collection for a fresh, new face in the good-but-flawed pet genre.