-Gr 3-Dumpling is a dog with no sense of smell and, consequently, no dog friends. When her people move to the country, she finds a big backyard, a sunny meadow, and ("Oh, my goodness!") a skunk that promptly sprays her. Her humans give her multiple baths, take her to the lake to roll in the sand, and buy tangerines and tomato juice. Though the boy warns her not to play with the "yucky, stinky skunk," she disobeys and is sprayed again. "She couldn't smell anything, so she didn't care." Dumpling and the skunk become the best of friends, sharing kibbles and watching the last of the sunset through the trees. Her kind, long-suffering people hold their noses, roll their eyes, and buy lots of tomato juice. In this tale that is reminiscent of those leisurely stories from another era, Jenkins uses a lot of detail and repetition. Pratt's sunlit illustrations are done in oils and portray a white dog with an elongated nose and a furiously wagging black tail who complements the black-and-white skunk. Children will instantly relate to the pup's skunk encounters and share stories of their own. Important themes of loneliness, tolerance, friendship, and family emerge from this funny story. It will enrich any storytime and linger long in the minds of young readers and listeners.-Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.