What Are You?

Description

When Pugs meets two new poodle friends, there are questions the poodles feel they must ask Pugs before they can play together. Pugs has trouble answering the many questions and assumptions. The poodles reason Pugs must be good at certain things because he is part pug, and others because he is part beagle. Is that true? Or is he good at doing things because he is who he is? Like the irresistible Elephant and Piggie, this is a brilliantly constructed early reader picture book, equally funny and thoughtful, with back matter that includes prompts to facilitate important conversation about identity between child and adult.

Christian Trimmer is a children's book writer and editor. He is the author of The Little Things: A Story About Acts of Kindness, Teddy's Favorite Toy, and Snow Pony and the Seven Miniature Ponies, among others. He lives with his husband in Hillsdale, New York. christiantrimmer.com Mike Curato is the award-winning author and illustrator of the Little Elliot series, Where is Bina Bear? and Flamer, and has also illustrated a number of other books for children. Mike lives in Northampton, MA with his Jack Russell beagle mix pup, Leia. mikecurato.com

Curato's cartoonish dogs in soft colors give an inviting look to this story about a conversation that will be all too familiar to many kids, and the final pages, showing a trio of children having a similar conversation, drive that point home. A discussion guide closes out the book, providing caregivers with some advice for facilitating conversations about interracial identities and stereotypes with young children. - Booklist