Mr. Scruff waits patiently in the pound to be adopted. Every other dog has a human that seems to match it perfectly in name and appearance. Curly-haired poodle Polly belongs to curly-haired Molly. Eric belongs to Derek. Lawrence belongs to Florence. Mr. Scruff has no one—until Jim arrives, that is. But are they really a good match? Jim’s dad points out their size difference. Mr. Scruff is so big, and Jim is so small. Mr. Scruff is so old, whereas Jim is only a child. And of course, their names don’t rhyme! But in the end, rhyming names and having traits in common is not as important as the fact that Mr. Scruff needs a home, and Jim wants to be the one to provide it. Never mind that old Mr. Gruff arrives to choose a dog soon afterward. For him, it’ll have to be the puppy named Tim. Complete with playful ink-and-watercolor illustrations, this story featuring a biracial (Black/white) boy gently encourages readers to look beyond similarities when choosing friends and companions. (Ages 3–8)

A sweetly silly story of a little boy and a dog who make an unlikely (but perhaps perfect) pair.

Everyone knows that owners and their dogs belong together in a unique way. Polly belongs to Molly, Eric belongs to Derek, Berry belongs to Terry. But poor Mr. Scruff, alone in the rescue shelter, doesn’t belong to anyone. Then a boy named Jim walks in, and they seem to get along. Jim and Mr. Scruff don’t look anything alike, and their names certainly don’t rhyme, but they may end up belonging to each other just the same. From author-illustrator Simon James comes a warm, winning story about friendship and finding a home.