THE LETTER SETTERS IN PET!

This troop of can-do canines return once more, this time with a new pet to help.

Out for their daily walk, the setters (Gordon, English, Irish, and more) come across a sad little turtle. Once they realize that the creature is ill, the dogs try giving it tea and encouraging it to rest before finally seeking an opinion from a professional. All ends happily: The turtle triples in size thanks to its medicine and becomes a big pet all the setters can enjoy. Like the dogs’ previous outing, this tale is limited to a single, simple word per page, and the art once more does the heavy lifting when it comes to storytelling: On one page (“sad”), the turtle stares up miserably; on another (“vet”), the pooches stare anxiously as a rhino wearing a lab coat and stethoscope examines the turtle. Long’s chipper cartoon illustrations are expressive and engaging; readers will marvel at how much the author/artist is able to convey through images alone, to say nothing of his visual gags. At times, however, youngsters may struggle to make sense of more complicated terms like fad or bet; adults may need to offer explanations.

An ambitious early reader that’s loaded with fun.