A Parade for Sam

Ellie Contursi is a children’s librarian at the London Public Library.

Sam, the sweet, cuddly sheepdog puppy, is back again in these amusing
new chapter books for beginning readers.

In Sam’s Snowy Day, Sam discovers something new in his world—snow!
Immediately, she barks her interest to her owners and expresses her
desire to go out and play. At first she hesitates; the snow is cold and
wet after all, and it makes her sneeze. But it doesn’t take long for
Sam to enjoy the winter wonderland, complete with snowball fight, and a
wild toboggan ride.

A Parade for Sam shows the reader just how rambunctious a pup can be.
When Sam hears the noise from a passing parade, she simply must be part
of the action. Sadly, her enthusiasm for taking part is not welcomed.
When she tries to juggle balls with the clowns, dance with the dancers,
and play with the parade dogs, she is told to “[g]et out of the
parade, puppy!” But Sam doesn’t give in. A marching band soon
appears and a girl with a baton welcomes Sam to join her, which Sam does
with pride.

Sam is an endearing pet, and one can’t help but smile at her antics.
Illustrator Marisol Sarrazin uses a softness in her illustrations that
is quite appealing, making Sam even more loveable. Her facial
expressions clearly show how she’s feeling, and what she’s thinking!


No more than four lines of text appear on each page, and the repetition
of certain phrases makes the stories easy to read. These titles are
excellent additions to any beginning to read collection. Recommended.