Wouldn’t it be nice to wear pajamas all day long, every day? And to have a special selection of pajamas, one for each special day or time? Well, two brothers wear pajamas all the time and on this special day, they choose to wear pajamas with a doggie pattern on them. Why? Because this is the day the Pajama Brothers and their parents are going to adopt a dog and welcome him or her into their home. It’s a big day, an important day, and lots of decisions need to be made, but it’s also a day full of excitement and joy when the chosen dog finally joins their household.

Ruby and Paxton Kindheart’s picture book story, Pajama Brothers: The New Dog, is another fun and educational book in the Pajama Brothers series. With simple language to help young readers follow along and perhaps learn to read themselves and bright, bold, colorful illustrations to help move the plot forward, this is a book full of fun and adventure. The plot follows the brothers as they go through the proper motions before welcoming a pet into their home: they help Dad fill in the adoption papers, they help Mom choose the perfect dog for them, and they help prepare the house (tidy it up) so that’s it’s ready and safe for their new addition to the family. There is an interactive exercise suggested at the beginning of the book: to find the thirteen butterflies that are secretly hidden on each page, and there is a special bedtime poem at the end that promotes the importance of kindness and believing in oneself. Beautifully told and presented.

Pajama Brothers: The New Dog, written by Ruby and Paxton Kindheart and illustrated by Charity Russell, is a children's picture book the follows a family on their pet adoption journey. Named the Pajama Brothers because their free days are so comfortable that they only wear jammies, the boys wake up and select the most appropriate footed sleepers: doggy print for an exciting afternoon ahead. After searching online and submitting an adoption application, the family of four travels to the pet shelter to find their forever pup. The match is made when the dog actually seeks the family out, and following an unspecified but seemingly brief trial, the family decides the dog is the perfect family addition and they call the shelter to convey their decision.

Having four rescue pets myself, I am always keen to select children's books like Pajama Brothers when the opportunity presents itself. The kids also enjoy them and these are a good reminder that other families continue to rescue even though our own home is at capacity. The narrative is simple and straightforward, with Ruby and Paxton Kindheart writing for a young audience at a reading and potential comprehension level that works across a wide age group range. We had a good chuckle at the Great Dane who likes “being carried at all times” and comes up again later enjoying exactly that with a new human friend. The illustrations by Charity Russell have a folksy quality to them that do well in depicting the stages of adoption. The art is colorful and Russell's strength is on best display when land and cityscape illustrations bring the environment to life. Overall Pajama Brothers: The New Dog is a homey and warm little children's book.

Pyjama Brothers: The New Dog is a children's book written by Ruby and Paxton Kindheart and illustrated by Charity Russell. When their mother wakes them one morning, the Pyjama brothers are excited and comb through their clothing choices for the day. They decide to wear pyjamas with dogs on them as they will be adopting a new dog. With their father's assistance, they fill in an adoption application form before perusing the different dogs available for adoption. After the long ride to the animal shelter, the family arrive home. It takes some time before the new dog adjusts to its new life, but when it does and the family decide to keep him, it's time to give the dog a name... which then continues to the next book in the series.

I found myself smiling throughout Pyjama Brothers: The New Dog. Seeing the excitement and joy in both children, and how patient the parents were in showing each step of the adoption from the animal shelter, it became clear that it is not just the happiness of the animal which is adopted that matters, but also the happiness of the family. Regardless of the animal's challenges regarding nervousness, learning the rules of the house and being accepted by the new people was just as much a learning curve for the dog as it was for the family who had adopted it. Animal adoption is a very important decision not to be taken lightly, as a dog may live up to 20 years of age and needs to be cared for and sheltered for its entire life. I loved the infectious smiles and love of animals that Ruby and Paxton Kindheart have introduced into Pyjama Brothers: The New Dog and am on the edge of my seat to see what the next book has in store. I recommend the Pyjama Brothers series of books to all young readers 4-12 years of age so that animal shelters can be a place for animal lovers of all ages.