Daisy and Josephine by Melissa Gilbert- OPTIONAL

Gilbert, Melissa Daisy and Josephine. Illustrated by Julia Kuo.  PICTURE BOOK.  Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2014. $17.99.  Daisy is an adorable little girl who lives an unusual life on the road with her famous father.  Although she gets to travel to places most never would, she often times gets lonely.  Daisy’s dad realizes that she needs a companion and gives her a lovable French bull dog named Josephine.  In the beginning, Josephine wasn’t anything that Daisy expected.  Instead of playing fetch, Josephine relaxed in a lawn chair.  Instead of chasing a squirrel, Josephine sniffed some flowers.  Daisy soon realizes that Josephine can speak, and not only speak in the English language, she can speak French!  Once Daisy and Josephine begin to communicate and determine each other’s likes and dislikes, they finally find the one activity that makes them both happy.  I am not sure why, but we never really connected to this story.  When the bulldog started speaking in French, the book took on a kind of quirky tone.  The illustrations are unique, but didn’t really draw us into the story.  Pre-K.  EL (K-3).  OPTIONAL.