Safari Pug by Laura James

The adventures of Pug. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408866405
(Age: 7-10) Safari Pug is the third short novel in the series by Laura James, and follows the adventures of Pug who is the (somewhat) adventurous pet of Lady Miranda.
Pug doesn't want to meet a LION. But LADY MIRANDA insists. They've packed a picnic and now they're off on a SAFARI ADVENTURE - but what if wild animals like PUGS for lunch?
This book features a trip to the wildlife park and some encounters with wild animals and a TV celebrity named Arleen Von Bling! While on this adventure we learnt about Sedan chairs (who wouldn't want to arrive at the open range zoo in one of those!), running footman and the ferocity of lion parents when met with a threat to their cub. Pug tries to be a hero (whilst not ending up as Lion's lunch or sold by Arleen Von Bling) and attempts to help out his new cub friend - luckily a happy ending ensues.
I thought this was a great short story as did my 7 year old son. It was long enough to read over a few nights (2-3 chapters per night), and short enough to hold his attention. The main character Pug is very well written in this book, and I felt like he was possibly put in adventurous situations by Lady Miranda when he would probably rather just hang around his mansion snoozing! The illustrations by Eglantine Ceulemans added great insight into Pug's life and we enjoyed the expressions of the characters. They really add to the narrative and bring it all to life.
This book would be great for a beginner independent reader (approximately 7 years old); as the chapters are relatively short and the character names are repeated throughout the story often. We are keen to seek out the previous two books Captain Pug and Cowboy Pug to find out more about the luxurious life of Pug and Lady Miranda.
Lauren Fountain