The Puppy Parade (Ella and Olivia's Puppy Club #1)

The Puppy Parade (Ella and Olivia's Puppy Club #1) by Yvette Poshoglian, illustrated by Danielle McDonald (Scholastic Australia Pty Ltd 2025) PB RRP $9 ISBN 9781761642333

Reviewed by Sylvia Forbes

Meet Bob the puppy, and his humans, Ella and Olivia!

Bob is competing in the Grand Puppy Parade! 

But so are all the other puppies in the neighbourhood!

Can Bob learn his new tricks on time?

Will he and Ella be on TV?

Or will the competition be PAWsitively tough?

For those who are already familiar with (and fans of) the Ella and Olivia books, The Puppy Parade (first book in the new Ella and Olivia Puppy Club series), will be a most welcome addition. And adding cute, adorable puppies to the mix will make it super appealing to an even broader readership and generate some new fans as well. 

Yvette Poshoglian has written another engaging, easy to understand and age-appropriate story, making it ideal for children who are breaking away from picture book length texts. The book is short; only 64 pages long, broken up into small chapters, with large-print text and plenty of illustrations.

Danielle McDonald's charming cartoon-style illustrations bring the story (and its loveable characters) to life -- and having the pictures so closely matched with the text will help developing and newly independent readers confirm the story they are reading and encourage them forward. 

The Puppy Parade celebrates the loving relationship between a puppy - Bob - and his human - Ella.

The story is told from Bob's perspective - Bob is a sweet-natured Golden Retriever puppy who adores Ella and follows her wherever she goes (except to school). First, he introduces you to his world - his human family, his home-life and his puppy friends. Then you find out firsthand (first paw), what he thinks, how he feels and what he sees as he and his puppy friends prepare for the parade. 

The descriptions of Bob's behaviour and mannerisms -- relative to how he's feeling -- are spot on and will perhaps help kids recognise and understand a dog's body language. (Like how the wag of Bob's tail slows when he feels unsure about something. Or when he's nervous, how his tail points down.)

There will be prizes given for the best costumes and skills and the winners will get to star on a TV show called Celebrity Pups! So, Ella wants to find Bob's special skill -- she tries to teach Bob some new tricks, but he prefers his old ones.  

Soon Ella realises that the thing he does best is being her shadow. 

You will love the two Miniature Dachshunds called Bangers and Mash who arrive at the Puppy Parade dressed in hotdog costumes!

Familiar and relatable to young children, with its themes around love, friendship, support and trust, The Puppy Parade is a delightfully warm and gentle read with oodles of schnoodles and a cheerful ending.

This book is perfect for all those puppy-loving kids out there -- and a must-read for those who are developing their confidence in reading longer texts. Suitable for ages 5 to 7 years.