cover image Chili Dogs

Chili Dogs

Carla Tedrow. Family Vision, $14.95 (48pp) ISBN 978-1-56969-325-4

Cartoonish illustrations and a cliched villain straight out of Saturday morning TV mar this otherwise engaging tale, first in the new Petz series. Jose and Maria's Mexican restaurant is threatened by Mr. Derrick, their conniving landlord, who wants to raze it and build a parking lot instead. In a plot twist that is more than a little reminiscent of 101 Dalmatians , this nasty fellow also has his eye on Taco and Tamale, the Cabreras' spicy-food-loving dalmatians--especially after Tamale (whose prenatal cravings run to chili and more chili) produces a litter of pups sporting not the traditional black spots but little red chili peppers instead. Jose and Maria enter the ``chili dogs'' in a puppy contest, overcome Derrick's evil machinations and win the prize money. Tedrow is a competent writer, if a mediocre artist, and despite occasional histrionics, she draws readers in and holds their interest through the upbeat finale. Ages 4-8. (Oct.)