Poppy & Pipsqueak: The Mighty Pipsqueak

Poppy & Pipsqueak: The Mighty Pipsqueak

Deborah Kelly

Anne Sabadin

Wombat Books, 2026

65pp., pbk., RRP $A11.99

9781761112768

Poppy is very excited when she sees the new pups that Jess has had overnight, and even moreso when she spots a teeny-tiny one, not much bigger than a mouse, wriggling among the other five and that her parents had not seen.  But her joy turns to devastation when her dad tells her it is a ‘runt”, and unlikely to survive.  And even if it does there is no room for such little ones on the farm, and they don’t sell, so there is no point in trying to save it.

But then Poppy plays an ace – she, too, was born tiny, spending weeks in an incubator being fed through a tube, because her parents refused to let her die.  An argument that couldn’t be argued with and so begins the relentless, 24/7 tasks of raising a pup that Poppy (and the young reader) learn must be undertaken if the puppy is to survive and thrive. It’s more than just cuddles and snuggles and walking them each day!  And just as Pipsqueak learns the physical tasks of being independent, so Poppy learns about taking responsibility and developing her own independence.  But thriving is in Poppy’s DNA and she is determined that Pipsqueak will flourish, just as she has, and be brave and resilient, just as she is.

But when Pipsqueak starts eating shoes and ripping washing from the line and Dad declares she must go back to the barn, Poppy is worried that the possums, blue-tongue lizards and spiders would scare her, particularly as the other pups had been sold and she would be alone in the damp and the dark.  And to add to her misery, she spots the sign advertising Pipsqueak for sale! Poppy knows that farm dogs are different from house dogs  -they are not working dogs, not pets, and many find new homes – but can she persuade Dad to let her keep Pipsqueak?

This is a charming story for young, emerging readers full of joy and hope that just as Poppy had been cared for so carefully and despite needing glasses and a hearing aid, so too will Pipsqueak thrive. It moves along at a fast clip, with just enough drama to keep turning the pages to find out what happens. Ideal for those whose skills are consolidating or even as a first read-aloud chapter book for a class. It’s the first in a series so there are more adventures to look forward to.