I recently read Ruffles and the Bouncy Ball.
When I did, I didn’t know it was part of a series. (I know, that happens a lot.) However, I have since discovered that, and I picked up David Melling’s 2021 picture book Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat. Not only is it part of the same series, it uses a similar structure, features some of the same characters, and shows the same strong knowledge of dogs.
This book focuses on Ruffles and his dislike for his red coat, which he is supposed to wear when it is raining. (I assume there was a human involved in the decision for him to get/wear a coat in bad weather, but that’s not mentioned.) Instead, Ruffles goes out to enjoy a puddle without a coat, first on his own, and then with his dog friend Ruby. They’re fine until big dogs come past and splash them, then Ruffles doesn’t want to play anymore. Ruby leaves, only to return with Ruffles’ coat, which he somehow–impossibly–puts on by himself. And they play happily.
The structure I mentioned involves page and image layout. Most pages show a dog and a line of text on one page, and then the implications of that text in nine smaller images on the paired page. For example, one page reads “But Ruffles does not love his new red coat.” The next page shows nine images of this coat-hatred, arranged in three rows of three. All nine are very doggy: anyone with a dog has seen these positions. Having such a cluster of images gives little kids lots to look at. Repeating the structure throughout the book–and series–gives kids something to anticipate.
And the combination of big dogs accidentally causing trouble and Ruby leading Ruffles to better behavior provide a thinly disguises moral parents may appreciate. At least when it is raining.
