Who Says?: Bella's Rules by Elissa Haden Guest

BELLA KNEW THE FAMILY RULES BY HEART.

BELLA LIKED HER OWN RULES BETTER.

MUCH, MUCH BETTER.

Her family's rules are sensible--eat a healthy breakfast, take a bath every night, and be in her pj's by bedtime.  Oh, and no climbing up the bookshelves, either.

Bella prefers candy for breakfast,eschews shampoos at all costs, and stays up as late as she likes whenever she can..

It's not just a matter of preference. Bella persists in her choice of behaviors even when she has a babysitter. Poor Sammy watches as Bella sleds down the staircase, uses her mom's china for building blocks, and finally announces to Sammy that he can forget about bedtime:

"I NEVER SLEEP!"

But help for Bella's beleaguered parents is at hand. Granny blows into town with a surprise gift for Bella, a puppy!

IT WAS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

Bella loves, loves, loves her puppy--at first. But she soon realizes that this puppy hasn't a clue how to behave.

He jumps right up on the counter and takes Bella's cupcake. He leaves muddy footprints on Bella's favorite old blankie. And horror of horrors, he piddles on her floor right in front of her. And when Bella finds herself in an ear-ripping tug-of-war with Puppy over her beloved Teddy bear, Bella has an epiphany.

Rules look a bit different when the behavioral shoe is on the other foot, as the rambunctious Bella learns in Elissa Haden Guests' new little morality tale, Bella's Rules (Dial Books, 2013). Guest's droll and well-paced narrative and artist Abigail Halpin's playful illustrations of this determinedly mischievous bad girl keep the message light, with just a touch of a lesson that there might be some good reasons behind all those family rules.