Painter and Ugly, two sled dogs that are separated at the story's beginning, find each other on the Junior Iditarod Trail. The dogs seem to jump right out of the accomplished oil paintings, and the fast-paced text will keep readers' hearts racing as the dogs listen to their own instincts to be reunited. (c) Copyright 2011. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From a veteran Iditarod chronicler (Akiak, 1997, etc.) comes the tale of Painter and Ugly, two young sled dogs and dedicated friends. Rich, textured oils show the dogs as they run and play within a snowy Alaskan landscape, spending all of their time together until the fateful day that they are separated and sold to different owners. Painter misses Ugly and is lonely in his new surroundings, but he is a strong sled dog at heart and trains hard with his new team. On the day of the Junior Iditarod, a race in which the mushers are teens, Painter recognizes Ugly's scent before the teams take off. Is there a way the two can reconnect? Blake's timing is just right in his description of the race, and tension builds as the two dogs lead their teams through the wilderness, working hard and hoping to see each another again. An engaging tale of friendship, loyalty and separation, this will appeal to fans of the author's earlier work as well all readers who enjoy a suspenseful story with a satisfying end. (Picture book. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Blake's attention to painterly detail matches his storytelling skills in this tale of canine friendship. From the boxy sled-dog houses where pals Painter and Ugly live when not running races to the explosions of snow spraying upward as the dogs sprint, readers will sense the authenticity of his effort as well as vicariously feel the chill of icy, blue-tinged Alaskan expanses. Painter and Ugly, two lively sled-dog-team members, are inseparable when they belong to a boy named Jake: If Ugly howled at the moon, Painter sang harmony. When the dogs are sold to different owners (in an unexplained move readers see through the dogs' eyes), they inevitably suffer. A reunion during the Junior Iditarod is joyous, as the dogs recognize each other's yips and use their intelligence to bring their sled teams together as racing companions. This will hold appeal for those fascinated by the forty-ninth state's customs as well as dog lovers in general.--Cruze, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist

Like Blake's earlier work, including Togo and Akiak, this story celebrates the excitement of sled-dog racing and the dramatic landscape of the far north. Blake focuses on the friendship that develops between two sled dogs owned by a boy named Jake: "Wherever you saw Painter, there you saw Ugly.... If Ugly howled at the moon, Painter sang harmony." After the two are separated in a robbery and claimed by different young sled-dog mushers, Painter hunts ceaselessly for his friend until it's time for the Junior Iditarod sled-dog race, when his nose tells him that Ugly is out there somewhere among the dog teams. The sequence of events that leads to their reunion hurtles along breathlessly ("Painter leaped into the air when the team sprinted into view-Ugly was the lead dog!"), and the moment itself is portrayed in a joyous, wordless close-up. Blake paints the dogs' heavy coats and eager faces in painstaking detail, and does a notably good job of narrating from a dog's point of view. His portrait of this specialized world will lure even those who have never been part of it. Ages 5-8. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Gr 1-4-Blake presents a story of canine friendship on the Junior Iditarod Trail. Painter and Ugly are sled dogs living with their boy, Jake, on the Yukon River. They are an inseparable pair, playing together, eating out of the same bowl, and insisting on sleeping next to one another. They are also the fastest of the local racing dogs, and that leads to them being split up eventually and placed on different teams as the lead dogs. It's a lonely life for them, and they miss one another. However, during the 80-mile race, the dogs find a way to be together and to lead their teams to victory. Blake's glorious paintings, done in oil on canvas, are slightly impressionistic but do an effective job of reinforcing the action and changing moods of this satisfying story.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.