Rescued and brought into the loving home of her adoptive family, Callie the cat becomes good friends with Mitzi, the German shepherd. The two pets often snuggle together on the family room rug. Callie loves to climb and explore—maybe a little too much, as when she jumps on a shelf and knocks over Mom’s collection of porcelain angels. During Christmas, Callie tries to climb the family Christmas tree and ends up making a mess. But Callie also has a very sweet and loving side, as when she develops a friendship with the family’s new miniature poodle Simbah. “In the Callie tradition,” writes Acuña-Garza, “they explored and often got into trouble together.” Soon the two are inseparable.

This delightful children’s picture book deals delicately with loss when Simbah is hit by a car and does not survive. When the poodle is injured, Callie does not leave the pup’s side. When Jay, the son who works at the animal clinic, returns home that day without Simbah, Callie reaches for his collar and lays her head by it, staying in that position, “keeping vigil” all night long. A gentle lesson is imparted to young readers as we learn that Callie “taught everyone a great deal about friendship and grieving … Losing someone you love and care for is hard,” writes Acuña-Garza. For children, it is pointed out that Callie remembers all the fun times she shared with Simbah, and it is “these wonderful memories that will help her heal.”

Soon, Callie has yet another friend, Smokey, a cute and cuddly gray kitten one of Jay’s co-workers found abandoned. Smokey is a daredevil, and to Callie, he’s a big silly clown. The family knows that there will never again be a dull moment. Significantly, the book is presented in both Spanish and English.

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