Rosie the Truffle Hound

Jessie Hartland wrote and illustrated My Tiny Pet, and illustrated Lexie the Word Wrangler (by Rebecca Van Slyke). She's written and illustrated many additional picture books, including Steve Jobs: Insanely Great!, How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum, Bon Appetit: the Delicious Life of Julia Child, and How the Meteorite got to the Museum. Her paintings have been exhibited in Venice, Tokyo, Long Island, and New York City. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale's, and put her mark on ceramics, watches, and all sorts of other things. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids, Bon Appetit, and Fit Pregnancy. She lives in New York City.

“Hartland’s quirky gouache world suits this eccentric readaloud well, with plenty of hidden background details and a city of walking lizards, birds, and cats and dogs. Rosie is a skinny poodle with well-defined fur texture whom viewers will enjoy seeing pose like a human, whether she’s sitting in a chair or riding her bike or poorly guarding a museum from raccoon thieves. It’s an entertaining story that plays with reality in unexpected ways, and viewers may also learn something about the real tradition of truffle dogs and pigs. Recipes for truffle chocolates and noodles with truffles are included at the end for kids with expensive tastes.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books"The brisk narration and colorful gouache paintings have plenty of cheek—as befits the indomitable, improbable protagonist—and the pages fly by, propelled by characters who seem always to be in motion. Like truffles (both kinds), there’s plenty to savor."—Publishers Weekly"An original, somewhat zany story...illustrate[d] with gouache paintings that are freewheeling, buoyant, and energetic."—Booklist"Should entertain and empower; kids and adults will learn something. Rosie’s a cheery protagonist, and the lively illustrations nicely drive the text."—Kirkus Reviews"The naive illustrations are cheerfully comic and packed with dainty details to explore. They pair perfectly with the quirky, lighthearted text. A recipe for each type of truffle is included. There is plenty to entertain young listeners and viewers in the pages of this lark of a picture book . . . charming."—School Library Journal