Apart from the wonderful Hairy Maclary, and the elderly but still wonderful Harry the Dirty Dog and Spot, there are not huge numbers of picture books about dogs, and most of those have boys as the dogs’ companions. So Ruby and Grub, by Abi Burlingham, illustrated by Sarah Warburton, is a welcome addition to the small list of books about dogs and girls. Grub is, as his name suggests, rather a mucky pup. He digs, he disobeys, he wets Ruby when she baths him, but he is very affectionate. When he escapes for a second time and has to be caught and returned, Ruby’s mother has had enough and Grub is exiled to Uncle Tom’s. Uncle Tom has three dogs already. But when Ruby and her family get home they realise that Grub is rather more than the sum of his imperfections, he’s part of their lives and their family. So back to Uncle Tom’s they go, where Mum admits: “He’s naughty, he’s mucky and he’s far too much trouble…but we just miss him TOO much.” And as Ruby says in conclusion, ” Now the house is a mess, the garden is a mess, everywhere’s a mess. But it doesn’t matter because… I have Grub, and Grub has me!” A wonderful mucky dog story with illustrations which enhance the text.