Rosie Runs

Like the other racing dogs, sleek Rosie, dressed in jersey number two, chases a mechanical hare around the track every day. The spectators enjoy the show, but it's hard on Rosie and her companions, who move restlessly in their cages at the racetrack each night. The day after she wins a race, Rosie starts off running again, but when she gets to the finish line, she doesn't stop. She leaps over the track fence ("The spectators gasp in wonder") and keeps going through crowds portrayed with varying skin tones, pacing a train, barreling through a subway station, following a pink car, and soon, finding herself washed out to sea. But she's in no danger, and when she comes ashore elsewhere, she encounters new canine companions in a place where she's more than just a jersey number. This story by Finnish creator Maijala offers many pleasures: riveting, sustained motion; the suspense of wondering whether Rosie will be captured; and acute observations (a tethered circus pony "neighs in longing as Rosie runs by"). A series of wide-angle views roughly stroked in crayon-like colors give a mosaic feel to Rosie's flat-out dash for freedom in this triumphant escape story. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"What a charming book! This Finnish import feels like an epic journey. The mystery is: does Rosie dream this adventure as a way to break free of the life of a racing dog? Readers can decide for themselves. All will agree that the sliver of her body, elongated and hovering over the earth like a speeding bullet, is the embodiment of her joy in running . . . A great pick for story time."
—Stephanie Tournas, Youth Services Book Review

"In the spirit of Pulitzer Prize-winner Jane Smiley's magical and uplifting novel, Perestroika in Paris, ROSIE RUNS is the heart-warming and energetic tale of a race-dog and her sudden dash into the wider-world. Rose runs indeed— through countryside and towns, across water, and past people and animals of all sorts. Like Smiley's tale, some notice Rosie while others miss the wondrous sight. But young readers won't miss a second of this brave greyhound's journey to freedom. The crayon drawings add more magic to the adventure. What a gorgeous gem of a picture book!"
—Joy Preble, Brazos Bookstore

"This story by Finnish creator Maijala offers many pleasures: riveting, sustained motion; the suspense of wondering whether Rosie will be captured; and acute observations (a tethered circus pony "neighs in longing as Rosie runs by"). A series of wide-angle views roughly stroked in crayon-like colors give a mosaic feel to Rosie's flat-out dash for freedom in this triumphant escape story."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"The text and illustrations brilliantly create momentum while encompassing the reader in Rosie's world through all the senses — for example, from feeling the air as she leaps away from the race track to the eventual moss under her feet."
—Michelle Nott, author of Teddy, Let's Go!