Mr. Scruff

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.uthor/illustrator James does a marvelous job of creating a playful story about the serious idea of stepping outside the familiar in friendships—an idea stupendously amplified with his light-filled watercolor-and-ink illustrations, showing a grand diversity of people in a bustling city setting. Diversity in friendships is brought to happy, lively life in this effervescent picture book.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

James’s warm ink and watercolor illustrations capture the personalities and funny details about the canines and humans along with their unbreakable connections. Steeped with meaning (and metaphor), this seemingly simple tale offers new discoveries and insights with every read.
—The Horn BookSimon James is an award-winning author and illustrator of many picture books, including George Flies South, Little One Step, and Leon and Bob, which was named a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year. Simon James lives in England.