Dolly Parton's Billy the Kid makes it big

With Perl, Parton expands her song "Makin' Fun Ain't Funny" into a bighearted anti-bullying fable starring a French bulldog with big dreams. "Born with an ear for music," hound Billy the Kid heads to Nashville to pursue dreams of joining a country music band. Despite months "wishing, hoping, and practicing," an encounter with dog musician Big Earl soon leaves Billy discouraged ("It had been a ruff day"). But Billy finally makes it to the Battle of the Bow-Wows after joining a band of small dogs, and when Big Earl starts picking on someone else, the puptagonist hatches a plan to defend his friends so they can give a "totally pawsome" performance. Warm pastel-hued rainbows carry musical notes throughout Haley's images of cartoon pooches in a message-driven story that includes plenty of Easter eggs for Dolly fans. Lyrics to "Makin' Fun Ain't Funny" conclude. Ages 4--7. (Apr.)

In this picture book from singer Parton and co-author Perl, a small French bulldog goes to Nashville, joins a band, fends off bullies, and meets one of the queens of country music. Promising at the outset that this is just the first of a series of adventures starring her beloved "god-dog," Parton goes on to hit all the conventional thematic notes. Inspired by musical dreams, Billy heads for Nashville. After a "ruff day" in which being scorned by big dogs for not being a "true muttropolitan" leaves him feeling "lower than a stick on the ground," he eats some flowers, strums some tunes, forms a band with a trio of little dogs, and, after sending the big pooches packing, trots out a "pawsome" performance at the "Battle of the Bow-Wows." And from there it's on to the Grand Ole Opry to hear his big-haired favorite singer warble out lines from her song "Makin' Fun Ain't Funny," about celebrating differences rather than mocking them. Haley slips those lines, along with references to "Jowlene" and "I will pawlways love you," into painted scenes of an all-dog-or-Dolly cast set against swirls of music and simply drawn backdrops. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Music takes center stage and bullies get properly pun-ished in this hearty and wholesome howl. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.