We Match!
by Chris Barton; illus. by Sharon Glick
Primary    Astra    40 pp.
7/25    9781662621062    $18.99

Finding common ground is humorously explored in this comic-book-style visit to a dog park. A terrier with a microphone commentates as two black-and-white dogs meet: “One thing is clear as today’s action kicks off: these dogs match.” A golden retriever is not a match—until she asks if they like to play ball. “You can’t always tell right away, can you?” the terrier observes. New matches are found as dogs cover topics including head out the car window or not, wet food or dry, and squirrel chasing. The dogs ponder the questions in both dialogue and thought balloons: for “sweaters—wear or destroy?” one thought bubble shows a small sweater-wearing dog strapped into an adaptive ski seat with his owner; a mastiff recalls an all-striped-sweater family photo; three other dogs share a bubble containing only shredded sweater remnants. Things get awkward when an emotional-support ferret sneaks into the park—until one pup asks, “Are you friendly?” (it is!) and the terrier wraps up with “Who wants to come back tomorrow?” They all do, and “WE ALL MATCH!” captions a group picture of happy humans (as varied in appearance as their pets), dogs, and a ferret. Glick’s energetic and affectionate illustrations are a fine match (heh heh) for Barton’s (Glitter Everywhere!, rev. 7/23) cleverly comical text. An extra treat on the endpapers: “Pupps” trading cards with each pet’s stats—breed, nicknames, favorite toys, and more.

From the September/October 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.