So you say that your child’s BFF is a D-O-G? Then she’ll identify with the characters in Amy Novesky’s new book, “Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her.”
When Holiday was a little girl, she dreamed of becoming a star.
And that’s just what happened: she grew up to be a famous jazz singer. People called her Lady Day and they loved to hear her voice. But even big-time stars get lonely sometimes, and they need someone to listen to their dreams and fears.
Lady Day had her dogs.
There were, in fact, lots of dogs in Lady Day’s life. There was a tiny poodle she carried in her pocket. She had a little spotted beagle, and two chihuahuas that she fed with a baby bottle, a giant Great Dane, and a medium-sized terrier named Bessie Mae Moocho. There was a wandering mutt with a sad face who ran away but always found his way back home.
But the dog Lady Day loved the most was a boxer named Mister.
Wherever Lady Day was, Mister was there, too. She knitted sweaters for him and bought him a mink coat. She cooked for him and even sang to him. When Lady Day performed at fancy clubs in Harlem, Mister was there — and sometimes, he even had a steak! When the show was over, he guarded Lady Day in her dressing room.
Then, one day when her career seemed to be at its best, Lady Day got into trouble. She had to leave home, and Mister couldn’t come. She cried and cried, and promised him that she’d come home as soon as possible.
She wasn’t sure if she’d ever see him again. If she did, would he remember her? Would Mister be happy to see her when she returned?
By giving young readers a sense of Billie Holiday’s deep love of dogs, Novesky makes this true story into one that kids — especially kids with cherished pets — can completely understand. She lightly glosses over the kind of trouble that Holiday found, but curious kids will find more of an explanation on the last page. On the flip side, younger children will love looking at the colorful collage-watercolors by Vanessa Brantley Newton.
Overall, if you’ve got a young animal lover in your life, put this tale on the shelf and let it stick around. “Mister and Lady Day” is a book that 3- to 8-year-olds will want to listen to again and again.
“Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Loved Her” by Amy Novesky [32 pages, 2013, $16.99].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old, and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
