A Taste of Perfection

Mary St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

Twelve-year-old Erin has a chance to volunteer at the local SPCA during
the summer months, but when her father and mother have to find new jobs,
she is obliged to spend the summer at her grandmother’s house. While
there, Erin takes on the challenge of training her grandmother’s dog,
Blue, to show him at a local dog show. She’s told by a former dog-show
judge that “the look of the handler [is] just as important as the look
of the dog.”

At the show, Erin is filled with anxieties that stem not from showing
Blue, but from her feelings of inadequacy about her appearance: “I’m
perfect, all right ... Perfectly awful.” In the end, her best friend,
Cassie, drags her through some painful transformations—while Blue
remains devoted throughout—and Erin comes to realize that real
friendship is priceless and that perfection is not based on what others
think.

Although Erin’s indecisiveness seems overdone at times, the simple
lesson she learns is well worth the trip. The book’s wonderful cover
image of Blue licking Erin’s cheek will definitely attract young
dog-lovers. Recommended.