What a darling story !! This is a wonderful story for young kids !!

Puppy Pals: Bijou is a lovely story for ages 7 years and above especially for those that love puppies. The book centers around the friendship between Kat (who desperately wants a puppy but isn't allowed to), Grace (kat's new friend) and Maya (Kat's best friend forever), and Kat's aunt Jenn who owns Tails Up! Boarding and Grooming business.

The book involves lots of puppy cuddles, playing, naming and finding homes for three abandoned pups - Bijou and his sisters Chantal and Aimée, navigating mean people at school, and not letting emotions take over.

There was one part of the book that I really liked and that was Grace not bullying the bully back when the opportunity arose. Grace showed that kindness goes a long way which is a great lesson to learn from.

What I didn't like is that there was a slight mention of a possible boyfriend/ girlfriend situation between Kat and Owen. It wasn't really necessary and it felt like it was forced into the story. If it had naturally flowed into the story I would have been ok with it.

Overall I think it was a lovely story, I believe this book will be a much beloved addition to the puppy pal series.

Bijou by Susan Hughes is the fourth book in the Puppy Pals Series. These are cute early chapter books definitely geared to young girls. The main characters are Kat, her best friend Maya and now a new friend Grace. They are obsessed with puppies, although none of them has a dog of their own.

In this book, the girls called to help Kat's Aunt Jenn. Someone has left a box with three bichon frise puppies outside the door of her pet salon. She needs the girls to keep the dogs busy, name them and make posters to find them forever homes. There are still some issues of teasing/bullying in this book that the girls, especially Grace, are dealing with. When Megan, the girl they are having the problems with, shows up with her mother and father to adopt the last puppy, Bijou, Grace and Kat need to make a decision.

There are a couple of good issues dealt with in this book. One is the abandonment of the puppies and finding them good homes and the second is the teasing and how the girls deal with it. There are some cute black and white illustrations in the book that add to the story. This is a series that little girls, especially those that love animals (dogs in particular) will enjoy. Short simple chapters will keep them interested. A good book for late primary, early junior classrooms as well as elementary school libraries.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A must read for any pet lover. This book would be perfect for reluctant readers.