Running Between the Raindrops: Enzo Races in the Rain by Garth Stein

FROM THE START, I'VE KNOWN THAT I WAS DIFFERENT.

ON THE OUTSIDE, I'M THE SAME AS ALL THE OTHER PUPS ON THE FARM.

BUT ON ON THE INSIDE, IN MY HEAD, IN MY HEART, THAT'S NOT WHO I AM.

Enzo feels like a person.

He tries to tell all his people how he feels, but his words sound just like barks. No one understands what he wants.

WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY IS TO RUN AS FAST AS I CAN.

But farmers don't really like a dog that barks and chases every car that passes.

"STOP YOUR BARKING, DOG!"

But then, one of the cars he races, stops. A small girl waves and then gets out and gives him a hug. Zoe likes Enzo best of all the puppies, and to his joy he goes home with her in a car that goes VROOOM! Even better, the man and girl name him Enzo, Enzo Ferrari!

It's a neat little house, with a doggy door painted like a racing flag that leads Enzo outside into a nice little backyard. The only problem is that there's no room to run fast in that little yard. An then Enzo spies... an opening in the fence just the right size for a small, racing dog. And in front of him are open fields just right for running.

FLASH!  NOW PEOPLE ARE RUNNING EVERYWHERE--AFTER ME!

Little Enzo races until his tongue hangs out! It's glorious fun, but... suddenly he notices that it's raining and he's very wet. He's ready to go back home and warm up.... But where is his home?

Garth Stein's story of a dog who lives to race, Enzo Races in the Rain! (HarperCollins, 2014), features an appealing little brown and white pooch who is born to run who finds just the right family. R. W. Alley's illustrations take the forefront in making this lost dog story come alive. School Library Journal says "facial expressions of both man and beast, ranging from sadness, determination, joy, anger, surprise, and many places in between, add a great boost to the wordy text."