Anxious Charlie to the Rescue by Terry Milne
Published by Candlewick Press on October 1st 2019
ISBN: 1536209163
Pages: 32
Goodreads

Charlie is an adorable little dog who lives a very structured life.  Living this way helps  alleviate his many fears.  He believes that if he follows the same routines every day that nothing bad will ever happen. So, the wiener dog  starts each day with a regimented wake up hop and ends each day with a systematic lining up of his toys. Many other rituals follow throughout the day that help him feel  in control.  But one day he is awoken by a ringing phone with an urgent request . His friend, Hans the dog, is stuck and Charlie is needed. The routines are forgotten in his rush to help his friend. The little dog comes up with a clever method to free his friend and is declared a star by his friends. When he gets back, he realizes that even though he forgot his routines  everything turned out fine! The next day Charlie is open to new adventures!  An uplifting  story on embracing change that works for everyone but will be of particular benefit for children with anxieties and or OCD. The sweet illustrations are done in ink with  a watercolor wash using a soft palette of warm blues, golds and browns.  The illustrations are varied with some full page bleeds and other pages with plenty of white space to offset the smaller  illustrations. The text and illustrations work well together making the book easy to read . Ideal for ages 3 to 6. A nice addition to any library or home.

Reviewed by Terri Bauld, Louis T. Graves Memorial Public Library, Kennebunkport, ME